What's a Girl to do?
by Bad l'Cie
Summary: Mean girls, traitor sisters, advanced study, two good friends and one guy who she has fallen head over heels for. A typical high school day. What's a girl to do?
1. Chapter 1

_I don't own anything from FFXIII or FFVII (including sequels)_

Things were hard these days. Father died when Serah and I were only young. Mother died two months ago. I picked up the mass of tissues Serah left lying around in the living room. She wiped her eyes and continued to complete her homework. Mum dying hit us hard, but with Serah being so young, it hurt her the most. Her friends were over a lot to make sure that she was doing alright. It's nice to know that Serah has some quality friends. I sighed and sat down next to my sobbing sister. She looked like a wreck. Her hair was messed up and her mascara ran down her cheeks. I placed my hand on her shoulder.  
>"Claire, please don't!" Serah exclaimed and brushed my hand off of her shoulder. I sighed with worry and then left her alone. Serah's the only person apart from the teachers who still call me Claire. I go by Lightning now. I figured that if I changed my name, my past would fade away. I wish.<p>

I wandered into my bedroom and buried my face in my hands. The down lights provided little lumination to my room. I ripped the curtains away from the window and just stared into the distance. The ocean was very calming. Mum, Serah and me used to stand on the beach hours before the annual Bodhum fireworks and just watched the waves lick the sand and eventually our bare feet as the tide came in. The salty sea breeze used to just brush against your body as birds flew overhead and the aquatic animals jumped out of the waves. Those were the happier days. I looked away from the window and decided to face facts. Those days are gone, forever. I sighed and left my window. I now realised that we had no other relatives that I knew of to turn to. Serah and I now had to depend on ourselves.

The doorbell rang and I heard Serah dash to the door.  
>"Claire, it's Cid!" Serah exclaimed. I headed out towards the front door and Serah went back to her homework.<br>"You ok, babe?" he asked and he kissed my lips. He released his lips from mine and held me close. Cid Raines, the aspiring leader of the Guardian Corps Cavalry. He was a few ranks ahead of me. I was sergeant rank. He and I met in the Sanctum Academy of Warfare. Serah didn't share my visions and she chose to go to Bodhum High.  
>"Yeah, I've been alright." I replied. He could read me like a book. Cid knew that I was still shaken by mum's death. He kissed my forehead and cuddled me. Cid's been really supportive and caring towards me, but sadly only when his friends weren't around. I don't even think they know that we're together.<p>

"No, you're not. I know you, Light. I love you." He said and kissed my cheek.  
>"Cid, don't." I replied and broke free of his grip.<br>"Claire, what's up? You've been really distant lately." He said and held my shoulders. He kissed my neck and then my lips, only to break away after two seconds.  
>"No, you have. You never approach me during school hours. It's always after school. I don't think you're serious about this relationship." I replied. He turned me to face him.<br>"I really do love you Light." He said. I noticed that he wasn't looking me in the eye. He was looking at Serah doing her homework.  
>"Do you like Serah?" I asked. He looked at me with a surprised expression.<br>"Cid, I don't think you're boyfriend material. You're a great guy and you take your schoolwork seriously. But you're not taking our relationship seriously." I replied to his silence.  
>"Light, I'm not in love with Serah. I'm in love with you." He said and kissed my forehead. Serah looked up at the fight waiting to happen. Cid was going to regret his decision.<p>

"Then you lied to me! You told me last night that you loved me!" Serah exclaimed. He looked at her and then at me. I crossed my arms in front of my chest.  
>"You cheated on me with my sister? What kind of boyfriend are you?" I asked with a hiss of fury. I swung at him. He caught my wrist and pulled me into a kiss. I pushed him away from me and then punched him in the nose. The sound was similar to that of a wet fish being smacked against concrete. He fell to the ground and rose again. Serah picked up a shirt I remembered asking who's it was earlier today.<br>"You can have your shirt back." Serah said and threw it to Cid. He caught it and frowned.  
>"Serah! You said that was a friend's!" I exclaimed at my sister. She looked at the ground with guilt.<br>"I'll deal with you later." I said to my sister and then I turned back to Cid.

"Ok, I made out with Serah. Happy?" Cid asked angrily.  
>"Cid, we're done! I don't want to ever see you again! Get out!" I exclaimed and literally kicked him out of the house and slammed the door behind him.<br>"Serah, why didn't you tell me?" I asked. Serah looked up at me with tears welling in her eyes.  
>"Cid made you so happy. I didn't want to hurt you." Serah replied and then hugged me. She cried into my shoulder.<br>"I'm sorry." She whispered. I sighed and tried to console my sister.  
>"Don't worry. I don't need a distraction like him in my life." I replied and Serah stopped sobbing.<br>"Listen to me. Nothing is going to happen to you. I won't let it. I won't let anything hurt you. You're my sister; we're supposed to look out for each other, yeah?" I asked. She nodded and wiped her eyes. Her eyeliner and mascara smudged under her eye and made her look like she's had no sleep in the past five years.

"Finished your homework?" I asked, trying to change the subject. She laughed and nodded her head.  
>"Good girl." I replied and she picked up her books to put them away. I headed back up to my room and picked up father's prized guitar. He taught me to play when I was four. He died a few years afterwards. The electric guitar was a six stringed, sleek and black silhouette. The hard guitar case sitting on the ground next to the stand and the amp was the same black but was embellished with the emblem of his band before he met mum. 'Storm Blade' was dad's rock band. There were parts of the guitar that were a matte black and there was also a glossy black part. Dad loved music and so did mum. Serah was taught by mum how to play the violin. It was purple and embellished with gold detailing around the edges. Mum was a conductor in the famed stringed orchestra, 'Clawed Hearts'. So music was in our genes.<p>

I could hear the hum of her violin downstairs. Serah took her music seriously, but she always dreamed of being a teacher. The music was an outlet for her. I pulled the guitar upright and tried to harmonise with Serah's playing. The melody was a lullaby that mum used to calm Serah after she woke up from a nightmare. It always worked. Mum later taught it to dad, she taught it to Serah and dad taught it to me. I uttered the words along with the tune, yet again making my voice harmonise with not only the guitar, but with the violin. Serah had started the sing along to her violin, so I again adjusted my harmony with the other melodies.

The violin soon stopped and Serah trudged up the stairs. She knocked on the door and I stopped playing.  
>"Come in." I replied. She opened the door and then closed it behind her.<br>"Claire, are you alright?" she asked and sat down next to me. She stared at the guitar and then wore a surprised look on her face.  
>"I'm fine. What about you?" I asked.<br>"Fine, when did you get your navel pierced?" she questioned. I smiled and placed the guitar in its stand next to the amp.  
>"Last year. I got it done after you got your ears pierced." I answered. She laughed and punched me weakly in the arm.<br>"You were so much like dad. Rock 'n' roll, rough around the edges and the serious one of the family." She said. I chuckled at Serah's response.  
>"You're a lot like mum. Sweet, gentle natured and strong minded." I replied. An air of silence passed between us. We had never sat down like this and talked about anything, we mainly fought as siblings do. I guess now that it was just the two of us; we had to learn to live with each other. Serah decided to break the silence.<br>"Hey sis, can we get a cat?" Serah asked. I chuckled at her. She's always wanted a cat. She loves cats. And if her cat earrings weren't proof, just look at all of the posters on her wall.  
>"Maybe. We'll see." I replied. Serah smiled at me.<p>

"Dinner time!" Serah exclaimed and ran out of my room to start cooking. I rolled my eyes at my sister. She was the cook and I was the maid. Just like mum was the cook and dad was the cleaner. I laughed at my sister as she pranced to the fridge and pulled out the chicken. Then the doorbell rang. I answered the door and it was one of my classmates.  
>"Hey, Darla. What's up?" I asked and assumed it was about the assignment that I already finished from air tactics class.<br>"Did you see the picture Cid posted on his student profile?" She asked.  
>"No." I replied unsurely. She got out her tablet and showed me the photo.<br>"What the hell?!" I asked with fury. It was picture of me on my first day. I was drenched with water, pelted with eggs, covered in feathers and pushed into a mud pit that day. Cid was the one who pulled all of those pranks on me. I almost forgot about that. I know that revenge is sweet, but this was going too far.  
>"I'll deal with him tomorrow." I replied and Darla left the porch. I closed the door behind me and I almost lost my temper.<p>

Serah looked at me in shock. I took a deep breath and told her what Cid did.  
>"That's terrible!" she replied. Cid was a dead man. After we had dinner, Serah flicked on the news.<br>"Claire. Come on." She said and tapped the space next to her. I sat next to my little sister and she turned up the volume. The news had just started.  
>"Today on the Cocoon News, Galenth Dysley has announced that a change in weather has wreaked havoc in the Gappra Whitewood. The beasts have managed to break out of the impound and have been controlled before they even left the impound. Next, activity has been found on Gran Pulse. PSICOM are preparing for a war, just in case there is another threat of from Pulse." The news anchor announced.<br>"Great." I said sarcastically and Serah glared at me before switching to her favourite reality show, Haunts of Pulse. It's the worst show ever to be aired and that's why Serah watches it. I got up to get two packets of popcorn for us to munch on.  
>"Come on! Kiss her already!" Serah exclaimed at the television. I giggled at my little sister.<br>"Boo! Go away spook! Leave the couple to smooch!" she shouted and threw popcorn at the screen.  
>"Great, nice ending. There's another haunt from Pulse! This show needs to rewrite its script again." She exclaimed and then switched to the music channel.<p>

Serah's mood turned sour when the music channel played one of Clawed Hearts' songs mum wrote. It was Serah's lullaby, Princess Dreams (Serah's song). I gave Serah a cuddle and she let the tears fall from her eyes. It was only a two minute song, but it had meaning to Serah. Her body swayed with the violins and her tears fell exactly when the cello was striking a beat.  
>"Claire, I miss her. I miss mum." Serah sobbed. I gave her a big bear hug. Almost ironically, one of Storm Blade's all time greatest hits played. This time, it was my turn to shed a tear. I remembered pestering dad that day. He wrote the song to get Storm Blade back on the charts. A tear trickled down my cheek as I replayed the scene over in my head.<p>

I was only four at the time and Serah had just turned one. Mum and Serah were out shopping. Dad was in the living room, playing around with chords and lyrics. When he found a combo he liked, he wrote them down and continued to follow the same routine. The sun poured in through the window and I pranced up to dad and messed up his hair. He turned to glare at me and I smiled cheekily at him.  
>"Hi daddy!" I chirped.<br>"I'm busy Claire." He replied with a serious tone and went back to work. I began to cook up cheeky things that would get him to get off the couch and talk to me. I tried everything from playing dead, to making as much noise as I could, nothing happened. He was struggling with lyrics for one of the bars and I began to sing my own stupid little tune. I wandered upstairs and closed the door. Dad came in later and asked me what I had sung. I recited what I was singing and he thought it was good.

"Claire? Are you ok?" a teary eyed Serah asked. I wiped the tears away from my eyes and nodded.  
>"Yeah, I'm fine." I replied. I had to stay strong for Serah. I hugged her tighter and then she started to groan.<br>"Go to bed, Claire." She said and I let her go before heading off to bed. Serah turned off the television and headed to bed herself. I closed the door and the curtains before turning off the light and hopped into bed. I pulled the covers up to my chest and told myself to go to sleep. I picked up my music player and put the buds into my ears before setting all of the Storm Blade and the Clawed Hearts albums on shuffle. The first song was a soft and peaceful tune from Storm Blade. The song was called A Prayer for You (Claire's song). The sound of dad's voice comforted me as my eyelids became too heavy to keep open. I let my tiredness welcome me as the lyrics danced in my mind.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning came and Serah almost bashed my door down.  
>"Claire! Get up!" She shouted and I slowly woke up to the real world. I opened the curtains and switched off my music player. I pulled the buds out of my ears and placed the player on my bedside table. I opened the door and trudged down the stair like a half dead zombie.<br>"Morning." I half-heartedly mused.  
>"Morning!" Serah chirped. She had one bud in her ear and I could tell that she was listening to one of Clawed Hearts' songs. A plate of eggs and bacon waited for me as Serah sat down at the dining table and dug into her food. It was Sunday morning. I sat down at the table and ate my breakfast. After both Serah and I finished breakfast, I picked up the dishes and the utensils before filling the dishwasher with the dirty dishes. I closed the door and turned the dishwasher on. It hummed to life as Serah turned on the television to watch Sunday morning cartoons. I shook my head at my little sister and then the doorbell rang.<p>

I opened the door to find the bass guitarist from dad's band at the door. Each member of Storm Blade and Clawed Hearts felt like family to us. I hadn't seen him since dad's funeral eight years ago. "Good morning Claire." Uncle Rufus said. Serah turned the television off and came up behind me.  
>"Good morning Serah." He said.<br>"Morning!" She chirped with a toothy smile.  
>"Please come in." I replied and let him into the house. I closed the door behind him and stood next to my sister. He looked me and my sister up and down.<br>"My, my. Look how much you two have grown!" Uncle Rufus exclaimed. Serah and I laughed at his response.  
>"It's good to see you Uncle Rufus." Serah said.<br>"It's good to see you two as well." Uncle Rufus replied. His face went from happy to serious.  
>"I'm sure you're aware that as your godparent Claire, you have to live with me now. Serah, I'm not going to have you separated from your sister. You're parents knew that you two would become inseparable.<p>

So, they instructed in their wills that if this predicament were to happen, you two would come to live with me." He explained. Serah was excited but I wasn't all that pleased. That meant that I would have to leave the Sanctum Academy of Warfare. I sighed.

"Don't worry. We leave tomorrow morning and you two will have school the day after. Midgar High." Uncle Rufus replied. Serah ran into her room and began packing her things into a suitcase.  
>"What about the furniture?" I asked.<br>"Keep the key as you own the house Claire. The furniture will stay here so you can settle down again in you choose to come back to Bodhum." He replied. I nodded and headed upstairs to pack. He assisted Serah and me with our packing. I made sure that my music player was fully charged before putting it in my satchel. I placed the guitar in its case and made sure that it was closed properly and locked. All of my clothes, my Sanctum uniform and other items went into my suitcase slowly. I opened my drawers and pulled out a family portrait of the four of us before dad died. That was the last item to be packed. I looked around my room and a pang of sorrow grabbed me. I knew that I may never return home. I picked up the lightning necklace that mum and dad bought me for my fifth birthday. I removed the original chain as it was too small for me. I placed it around my neck and vowed never to take it off. I picked up the weapon I did all of my field training with, the Blazefire Saber and placed it in its sheath before picking up my things and heading downstairs.

All of Serah's suitcases were downstairs and ready to go. I dragged the suitcase and the guitar case down the stairs. I placed them next to Serah's and Uncle Rufus nodded.  
>Is that almost everything?" he asked. Serah and I nodded. Serah stared at my necklace. She looked at me with surprise. I nodded. Our sister telepathy was something no one could take away from us. We always knew what each other was thinking these days.<br>"Good." Uncle Rufus replied. Serah got dressed and left the house to say goodbye to her friends. At least I wouldn't cop a few months of teasing due to Cid. Uncle Rufus looked at me with worry.  
>"Don't you have anybody to say goodbye to?" he asked. Come to think of it, I had no friends at all. They were all just acquaintances. I shook my head. He sighed.<br>"Well, you have to make friends in Midgar. Claire, you need people you trust behind you. Try and make some friends in Midgar. Join the cheerleading squad or glee club or something so you can meet people." Uncle Rufus replied.  
>"Yes, Uncle Rufus." I said.<br>"Good girl." He said and told me to go out and take one last look at Bodhum.

I wandered outside the house and breathed that salty air. The waves lapped at the sand's edge. The fal'cie Phoenix glowed in the sky, illuminating the glittery sea and the world around me. A world without fal'cie... would that be a hard world to live in? Cid walked past me with a group of girls surrounding him. I gave him a death stare and I left the beach to wander the streets. It was so warm here. I wondered if Midgar is a warm or a cold place. I stopped in my tracks and turned to go home. I really would miss Bodhum, but what else would I miss? Certainly not Cid, that's for sure. Maybe there was a guy in Midgar who would really catch my attention and be more serious about a relationship than Cid was.

I came home to find Uncle Rufus sitting on the couch and channel surfing. Typical that Serah wasn't back yet. She has friends and she'd miss them like hell. I sat next to uncle Rufus.  
>"Back so soon?" he asked.<br>"Yeah. What's Midgar like?" I asked in reply.  
>"It's a busy city. It's not warm like Bodhum, but it's not freezing either. You'll like the high school. I know that you wish to be a soldier, but it's just another way to die. Claire, do something constructive with your life." Rufus replied.<br>"I don't know if I want to anything else. I've been working towards the Sanctum Academy of Warfare for almost forever. I wanted to make dad proud." I replied.  
>"Claire, you can do what you like. But I don't want you to get there and be unhappy." Uncle Rufus replied. I nodded. Serah came in through the door and it was obvious that she had been crying again. The rest of that day was a blur.<p>

I woke up and got ready to leave. I put my satchel over my shoulder, and closed the door to my empty room. It was goodbye Bodhum. I sighed as I saw Uncle Rufus helping Serah with her luggage. I picked up dad's guitar and mum's violin. As Serah hopped into the car, I handed her the violin. She gave me a sad smile and hugged it close to her chest. I put the case in the boot and hopped into the car with Serah. I took one last look at the beach as the car drove away.


	3. Chapter 3

The car pulled up at a luxurious mansion in the middle of Midgar.  
>"Welcome to your new home." Uncle Rufus said and got out of the car. Both our jaws dropped. The garden was neatly manicured and he had at least four sports cars in the driveway. A large water fountain stood in the courtyard. It seemed to be made of cobblestone. Uncle Rufus called us out of the car. Serah and got out of the car to help unpack our luggage out of the boot. I picked up the guitar and one of my suitcases as Serah clutched the violin case tightly to her chest and wheeled a suitcase towards the front door. Uncle Rufus ushered us through the mahogany doors before closing them behind us. The interior was a crisp white and the walls were lined with the gold and platinum records from Storm Blade. It looked like a display than a living space. Uncle Rufus called Serah over and led her into a room. Serah squealed with delight and I heard her jump onto a bed. Typical Serah.<p>

"Claire, Over here." He called and led me to another door nearby.  
>"This is your room." He announced and opened the door. I could feel my jaw drop. The room was massive with a queen sized bed pushed up against the cream walls. The wrought iron of the bed stood out against the cream of the walls. The iron curled onto itself trying to weave intricate patterns. A black vanity stood against one of the doors with a chair tucked under it. The closet stood opposite the vanity and a large mirror hung on the wall next to the closet.<br>"It's amazing. Thanks Uncle Rufus." I replied and gave him a hug. He chuckled and then let me go.  
>"Unpack and then I'll let you and sister go exploring." Uncle Rufus replied and left the room, closing the door behind him.<p>

I turned on the light and began to unpack. The last item to be unpacked was dad's guitar. I set up the stand and placed the guitar in its resting place. I then placed the amp next to it and lay the case down nearby. Serah burst through the door.  
>"Come on! I want to go exploring!" Serah exclaimed and twirled in a circle. I swung my satchel over my shoulders and followed her out.<p>

The streets of Midgar buzzed with life. People were rushing to and fro. Children played in the streets with dogs and balls. In the distance, a great big building loomed over the city. Serah pulled on my arm as she spotted four people around her age. One was a brunette girl who seemed to be unsuccessfully flirting with a spiky haired blonde boy and another was a man with purple hair and he stood next to a girl with long blue hair.  
>"Go make friends." I replied and she wandered over to the two people. After a few seconds, the brunette started to chat with Serah and the blonde seemed to finally open his mouth. I chuckled at my sister and then wandered around the city a little more.<p>

I sighed. At least Serah was able to make a few friends. I placed the buds into my ear and turned on my music player. The only song that Clawed Hearts and Storm Blade wrote and performed together, In Love (always with you) played. I remembered the music video clear as day. Each individual scene played with the lyrics. Then, a group of three guys around nineteen years of age walked past me. One had auburn hair and another had black hair that came up to their shoulders and both had bright blue eyes. But the guy in the middle caught my attention. He had long silver hair and piercing green cat like eyes. Don't get me wrong, the other two were pretty cute, but the guy in the middle was hot. I started to rethink life in Midgar. The guy in the auburn hair looked back at me and smiled. He then turned to his two friends. They nodded to him and then said goodbye.

I took out one of my ear buds as the chorus played. The auburn haired one came up to me and smiled.  
>"Hey, I've never seen you around here before. Where you from?" the guy asked.<br>"Bodhum. A seaside city in Cocoon." I replied.  
>"Nice. I'm from Banora, a country town, but my parents wanted to give me a good education." He said with a cheeky grin. I chuckled at him. His eyes twinkled with delight.<br>"I'm Lightning." I said and extended my hand.  
>"Genesis." He replied and kissed my hand. Twice. I wasn't expecting that. I realised that for a country boy he was very well mannered and well; posh, prim and proper.<br>"Hm... may I ask what kind of country boy you are?" I asked cheekily.  
>"Not relevant to you at the moment." He replied. I guessed he was a rich country boy. I chuckled.<br>"What are you listening to?" he asked with one eyebrow raised. I listened to the song carefully and it had changed to my song.  
>"You wouldn't know them." I replied.<br>"I probably wouldn't. But they may be my style, you never know." He said with a flirty wink.  
>"Storm Blade. The song is 'A Prayer for You'." I replied and held the other bud up to Genesis' ear. I felt his arm grip my waist as he pulled me closer. He surprisingly gentle about it.<br>"They're really good." He said and let me drop the bud.

"Yeah, they're one of my favourites." I replied.  
>"What are the others?" Genesis questioned.<br>"Only one more. Clawed Hearts, a string orchestra. Their music is a little more classical. This one is 'Princess Dreams'." I answered and switched the song to Serah's lullaby. I held the bud up to his ear again. He listened to the first few bars and then nodded.  
>"Whoa. They're pretty good for a classical group." He replied. I dropped the bud again and switched the music player off and put it into my satchel.<p>

The black haired one came up to us.  
>"Genesis. Flirting time's over." He said. I looked up at the black haired guy and he nervously smiled at me. Genesis rolled his eyes at his friend.<br>"Lightning, this is Angeal. He's been my best friend for ages. We met in Banora when we were five." Genesis said. Angeal was a quiet guy.  
>"You never said she was hot!" Angeal uttered to Genesis. He shrugged his shoulders.<br>"I heard that." I replied and both of the boys flushed. I chuckled at them and Genesis waved goodbye before wandering back to his silver haired friend.  
>"So Angeal, what's Banora like?" I asked, trying to start a conversation.<br>"Uh, it's like a forest of apple trees leading up the town. And then the town is like a circle with a courtyard and a well in the middle." Angeal replied. Genesis and his silver haired friend came over. Angeal turned and faced his friends. Genesis shook his head at Angeal. The silver haired guy looked over his friend's shoulder at me. It was actually quite intimidating.

He left Genesis to ridicule Angeal as he wandered over to me.  
>"Hey, you new?" he asked. His voice was completely different to Genesis' posh accent and Angeal's voice. His voice was dark and brooding.<br>"Yeah." I replied.  
>"What school you going to?" he asked.<br>"Midgar High." I replied.  
>"Same. I'm Sephiroth by the way." He said. Sephiroth? Sounds exotic. Who am I kidding, he's more exotic than Gran Pulse!<br>"Lightning." I replied. I felt my cheeks beginning to burn.  
>"I'll see you tomorrow then." He said.<br>"Yeah. You and your friends could show me around sometime." I replied. He smiled at me and then left with his friends. My heart stopped and then raced as he sauntered into the crowd. Wow, Sephiroth was a dream!

"Light!" Serah waved and ran up to me with her four new friends trailing.  
>"Meet my new friends Tifa, Cloud, Caius and Yeul. They're going to the same school as us!" Serah exclaimed.<br>"I think I just made three new friends myself." I replied. Serah introduced me to her friends and then we headed home to prepare for school tomorrow.


	4. Chapter 4

A loud knock woke me from my sleep. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and trudged into the kitchen. A bowl of cereal waited for me and Serah was already finished with her bowl. After polishing off my breakfast, I put the bowl in the sink and headed into my bedroom. I brushed my teeth and my hair before getting dressed in my favourite jeans and a tee. I put blank exercise books I never used from my previous school and a pencil case into my satchel. I hid the Blazefire Pistol in my satchel and slung it over my shoulder. I came out of my bedroom and Uncle Rufus called out to me.  
>"Hey Claire. Can you drive?" he asked.<br>"Cocoon licence." I replied. He nodded and said goodbye before we headed to school.

The school was quite similar to Bodhum High. Students piled in through the doors and greeted each other in the weirdest ways. Genesis, Angeal and Sephiroth weren't that far ahead of me. Serah pointed to Sephiroth.  
>"Do you think he's hot?" she asked.<br>"Yes! He's a dream." I replied. Then I saw a brunette my age run up to Sephiroth and smooch him. My heart sank.  
>"Or not." I replied with a sigh and then trudged on, whether Serah was going to follow me or not. I picked up my music player and played one of Clawed Hearts' songs, 'Haunted Soul'. It was dark song about loving someone who loved someone else. I stormed past the group and made it in through the doors without being noticed. The violin humming its haunting melody seemed to make the pain bubble away.<p>

The halls were busy and people were running amok with silly string and eggs. Great.  
>"Boo!" a voice a recognised whispered into my ear. I turned to find Genesis snickering like a three year old.<br>"Very mature, Genesis." I retorted.  
>"You need any help?" he asked.<br>"Yeah, do you know where the office is?" I asked in reply.  
>"Follow me." He replied, grabbed my hand and dragged me down the hall.<br>"Beep beep! New beach babe coming through!" he exclaimed with humour. I just rolled my eyes at him and sure enough, I was at the office.  
>"Thanks." I replied.<br>"I'll see you later!" he exclaimed and ran off, most likely to find Angeal and Sephiroth.

The desk was attended by a woman who used too much metallic make up. She looked up at me and then looked at the computer again.  
>"Name?" she asked.<br>"Claire Farron." I replied and she picked up the phone.  
>"Mr. Coates, Claire Farron is here." She said and then hung up.<br>"The principal will now see you." She replied and then she pointed to a door just across from her door. I knocked on the door and a male voice told me to come in. I went in and closed the door behind me.

"Please have a seat Ms. Farron." He said and I sat on the chair opposite him.  
>"Here is your locker number and code. Don't lose it or give it to anybody else." He said and handed me a piece of paper with two sets of numbers on it. I tucked it into my jeans and then turned my music player off.<br>"Now, I understand that you had accelerated study at your other school and in doing so, you may graduate this year with the seniors if you choose to. But, you have to do a few more years at the university. What course do you want to take?" he asked and handed me a sheet of paper with the courses they do listed. I was relieved to find a military course listed.  
>"Military." I replied and handed back the sheet. He took the sheet from me and laughed.<br>"No girl has ever entered that subject. The class is all male, as SOLDIER only take on males." He laughed.  
>"I've been going to the Sanctum Academy of Warfare since I was seven. They don't discriminate women back home. It's actually encouraged on Cocoon." I replied with one eyebrow raised. I took an accelerated study to keep up with Cid Raines.<br>"Here's my report from last semester." I said and handed him the report. His eyes widened at my results and I smirked.  
>"Ok, your marks are amongst the best. Fine. You just have to take an elective as well." He replied and punched the information into his computer.<br>"Music." I replied automatically. He then entered that little bit of info into the computer. He took out a freshly printed page and handed it to me.  
>"Your schedule. Homeroom starts soon." He said and I left the office.<p>

I headed to locker thirteen and twirled the lock in the order written down. I opened the locker and emptied my bag. I checked my schedule and today was dedicated to military studies. I took out a book and my pencil case. I shut the door and locked it. I looked at my schedule and homeroom was in room F7. I ran into Genesis, Angeal, Sephiroth and his girlfriend as I was looking for homeroom.  
>"Hey Lightning! What room number?" Angeal asked.<br>"F7." I replied. Genesis placed his arm around my shoulder.  
>"Well, at least you know a few people in your homeroom!" he chirped. I chuckled at Genesis. He was quite odd, but he was still a nice guy. I took my earphones out of my ears and put them into my pocket. Genesis' hand moved down my arm and held my waist. He pulled me close to him and chuckled.<br>"Genesis! You dirty man-whore!" Sephiroth's girlfriend exclaimed.  
>"Piss off Aerith!" he retorted and let go of me. Angeal laughed and Sephiroth rolled his eyes at both of them.<p>

The bell went and the girl named Aerith kissed Sephiroth before wandering off. Sephiroth sighed angrily and Genesis punched Angeal in the arm. Angeal laughed even harder.  
>"Who was that?" I asked.<br>"Aerith. My girlfriend." Sephiroth sighed.  
>"Well, let's go to homeroom." Angeal said and the four of us wandered through the busy halls and into F7.<p>

Aerith stood at the back of the class, surrounded by a group of people who laughed at her jokes. She twirled her brown hair around her hand as she continued to soak up the attention. Sephiroth, Genesis and Angeal sat in a group and discussed the homework from a previous class. I sat in the back corner desk and placed a bud in my ear and continued to listen to mum and dad's respective bands. I looked at my schedule and my first course class was today in room M2. I sighed. I had no idea where anything was. Little did I realise that I was humming 'A Prayer for You' out loud as I colour coordinated my schedule. I heard a scoff come from Aerith's direction and I just ignored the immature girl. I could just hear whispering and giggling above the music playing in my ear. From the corner of my eye, I could see Aerith staring me down and then I saw the group of three guys chatting away as if they hadn't seen each other in years.

I checked over my schedule and after recess I had music. I was relieved. Genesis wandered over to me and tried to look over my shoulder at my schedule.  
>"What you got now?" he asked inquisitively.<br>"Course. In M2." I replied. I didn't want to reveal my course choice to them just yet. I wanted to know if they were genuine friends.  
>"Funny, I have next in M2. I'll take you anyways and ask the teacher about it." Genesis said and the picked up my schedule.<br>"Music? Hm... Thinking of doing the talent quest or performing for end of year prom?" he asked. I shook my head. No way in Pulse I would embarrass myself like that!  
>"I understand. Embarrassed or do you have stage fright?" he asked.<br>"A bit of both." I replied.  
>"I have massive issues with stage fright. I want to be an actor, but the stage scares me to death. I'm not worried about embarrassment, it's having many faces all focused on me that scares me. I can't even do oral presentations at school without freezing up." Genesis said.<br>"It's hard like that. You want to express yourself, but you're scared of what others may think of you. Especially strangers." I said.  
>"Yeah." He replied sadly.<br>"Hey, try pretending you're a character for the school presentations. Because, it's technically not you. It's someone else. Really become a character on stage and it should go away." I suggested. He perked up a little.  
>"That makes sense. Thanks Lightning! I'll try that." He replied and then headed back towards Angeal and Sephiroth whilst taunting Aerith.<p>

The bell rang moments later and I put my music player away. Genesis pulled me over to the others. Aerith skipped over to Sephiroth and gave him a hug before strutting away with her posse of girly girls.  
>"Why don't we show our new friend to her next class?" Genesis asked.<br>"Sounds good." Angeal replied. Sephiroth nodded. He looked quite frustrated with something.  
>"What's up?" I asked.<br>"Aerith troubles. Ever since we got together two years ago, she's changed. I know that people change every day, but she's become 'popular' and became a bitch." Sephiroth replied.  
>"I'm glad you noticed." Genesis replied sarcastically.<br>"Come on. We'll be late." Angeal said and led us out of homeroom.

After squeezing through the crowd, we made it to M2.  
>"I thought we were taking Lightning to her class." Angeal asked.<br>"M2, this is it." I replied. I realised that I had to tell them about my course choice soon.  
>"This is the military course room." Sephiroth replied.<br>"Yeah, it took a bit of persuading to get me into this course." I said. The three looked at me as if I had done something inappropriate.  
>"No! I meant prove that my grades were good enough to be let into this class." I replied and handed Sephiroth my report. Their eyes widened in shock.<br>"Accelerated study? Whoa, all A's. What school?" Angeal asked.  
>"Sanctum Academy of Warfare. Sergeant rank at the moment. My uncle's allowing me to go back if my grades are good enough." I replied. It was obvious that they had heard of the academy as their jaws dropped.<br>"Sanctum? As in Guardian Corps and PSICOM?" Genesis asked. I nodded. Sephiroth handed my report back to me and I added it to my pile.

The teacher let us in. I approached him at his desk. The blonde haired man looked at me and then back at his papers.  
>"Knitting class is next door." He said.<br>"Um, I'm the new student in your class." I replied.  
>"I thought they were kidding. A fifteen year old girl in the military course? Next they'll tell me behemoths can fly." He said and handed me a textbook on warfare. I studied the cover closely and realised that this was the book that I was using at Sanctum.<br>"Sit next to Sephiroth." He said and pointed to the empty seat between Sephiroth and the window.  
>"Hey." I said with a small wave. He waved back and then shot me an apologetic smile. I guessed it was about the teacher. I sat down and placed my books on the table.<p>

"I'm sure you all know me by now, but our new student doesn't. So girlie, I'm Mr. McCrae. Right everyone, this is our new student...?" he asked and expected me to fill in the blank.  
>"Lightning." I replied.<br>"Real name and previous school?" he asked with one eyebrow raised in annoyance.  
>"Claire Farron from the Sanctum Academy of Warfare." I replied. A few of the guys wolf-whistled and the others made cat noises. All except Genesis, Angeal and Sephiroth. Mr. McCrae folded his arms across his chest.<br>"Enough! Now, to briefly fill you in Claire on what we are going to discuss this lesson. What to do in situations that seem impossible to get out of. Who can tell me what they would do escape machine gun fire if you were in a jet?" he asked.

Only two hands shot up. Sephiroth's and mine.  
>"Sephiroth, what would you do?" he asked.<br>"Barrel roll and then manoeuvre around to shoot them." Sephiroth replied.  
>"Good. Claire, what would you do?" Mr. McCrae asked me.<br>"Well, a barrel roll is a great way to dodge aerial attack, but it's slow. An aileron roll would get out of the situation and then use a reverse barrel roll to turn around and then gun them down." I replied. I knew this from experience, sort of. It was a simulation and the trick worked for me.  
>"That is very complex combo. Would you trust yourself to execute this perfectly without being shot down?" he asked.<br>"Yes. It would be executed perfectly." I replied.  
>"Very well. Bring your books everyone! The simulator is waiting for our two responses." He announced and we headed into a separate part of the gym.<p>

Sephiroth climbed into the simulator with ease. Outside on a monitor we could see what he saw. He tried to manoeuvre into a barrel roll but his simulated jet was shot down. He came out and looked really bummed about it.  
>"Good luck. The simulator is very complex." Sephiroth warned me.<br>"How much harder can they be from the ones back home?" I replied with a flirtatious smile and climbed into the jet.

Buttons were everywhere in the cockpit. It was cramped but I was surprised how very similar the jets were to the ones back home. The seat smelt of butt sweat and stale deodorant. The screens flicked to that of the sky. I noticed the black jet to the left of me. I saw that it moved behind me. Time to impress. The jet tried to shoot me down, but I executed the aileron/reverse barrel roll combo and shot them out of the sky. Another jet tried to surprise me, but I steered the jet to fly under the other and used the missiles to take it out. That jet fell out of the sky and then a large plane emerged from the clouds. It was ten times bigger than the enemy jets. I gripped the controls and told myself I knew how to handle this. Then I remembered the button for the anti-matter cannons in the jets back home. It was a big red one that was labelled in Cocoon script 'anti-matter cannon'. There was no label on this big red button in the same spot as the cannon so, hoping it was a weapon, I pressed the button and prayed. The button popped open and a circular shaped recess lay in the button. I found a box of spheres and picked up a yellow one. It had a luminous but electrical light about it. I pushed it into the recess, closed the top over and pressed the button again. A bolt of thunder struck the plane and it crashed to the ground.

The screen went black and then the door in the cockpit opened. I got out finding a bunch of open mouths. Even the teacher's jaw almost hit the floor. Genesis, Angeal and Sephiroth crowded me and held their hands in the air. I gave them each a high-five and then they gave me a little more space.  
>"Well, that was executed perfectly. Well done Claire." Mr. McCrae replied and then scribbled a few notes down onto his notepad.<br>"Where did you learn to fly like that?" one of the guys asked.  
>"My old school." I replied.<br>"Sir, she even knew how to use the materia cannon! We haven't even learnt that yet!" another of the guys exclaimed.  
>"In the jets back home that button was an anti-matter cannon. I just found a box of spheres and improvised from there." I replied. Sephiroth was really quiet. I guess he was the top of the class. At least until I came along. I walked up to him and the other two.<br>"Sephiroth, you ok?" I asked. He turned to me with a half hearted smile.  
>"Yeah. I'm fine. I'm just not used to being bested by a girl. No offence." He replied.<br>"None taken. Even the Sanctum guys have a problem with it." I said with a smile. He chuckled a little and then playfully punched my shoulder.


	5. Chapter 5

The bell went and Mr. McCrae dismissed us. Sephiroth, Genesis and Angeal walked me to my locker. Aerith joined the party and then smooched Sephiroth. I wished at that moment that she wouldn't do that at all in front of us. The four of them gathered around my locker and I pulled out my satchel before locking it again. At the cafeteria, we bought the daily special of fruit with jelly. We sat down at a table and naturally, Aerith sat as close to Sephiroth as she could without sitting on his lap.  
>"Hey babe, do you want to take Latin classes with me?" Sephiroth asked and kissed her cheek.<br>"Latin is a dead language." She replied.  
>"Latin dancing classes?" he asked.<br>"Oh, no... No that's not cool hon." She replied and shook her head. I rolled my eyes at the princess sitting next to him. If I were in her position, I would say yes. It's another excuse to go out and do something together. Genesis was reading a book whilst eating.  
>"Loveless again?" Angeal asked.<br>"Yeah." He replied and then took another bite of his fruit. Angeal sighed at the reading auburn and shook his head.  
>"Come on, Aerith. It will be fun!" Sephiroth exclaimed. It was obvious that he really wanted to be with her, but to get on her sweet side seemed to be impossible at this point.<br>"No. Dancing isn't cool." She replied and then picked at her jelly. Sephiroth sighed in defeat and began to eat his jelly.

Angeal picked up a flyer from a girl in a cheerleading uniform and handed it to me. The cheer squad was holding tryouts.  
>"No. I'm not a cheerleader. I want to be a soldier." I replied and pushed the flyer back. He pushed it back to me.<br>"I dare you." He said and raised one eyebrow.  
>"You just want an excuse to check out girls in short skirts." I replied.<br>"Maybe that's one reason." He responded quietly.  
>"Fine, I'll take your dare." I said and took the flyer off of the table. Tryouts were after lunch. I sighed and stuffed the flyer in my bag. Aerith picked up her tray and then headed for her friends at a nearby table. Sephiroth moaned and ran his hands through his hair in frustration.<br>"Aerith?" Genesis asked, not even looking up from 'Loveless'.  
>"Yeah. I'm having trouble organising things to do with her. You know, just the two of us? She won't do it. It's either with her friends around, on a double date or it's no deal." He replied and the sighed. Then it twigged. Aerith was only using Sephiroth for his popularity. Everyone in the school knew who he was, who he was dating, what he was doing or even the team he plays for. Forget the football team, the school spirit was all for the combat team of which Genesis and Angeal were part of with Sephiroth as team captain.<p>

"Wait, did you just dare Lightning to try out for the cheer squad?" Genesis asked and put 'Loveless' away. Angeal nodded.  
>"Are you taking it?" Sephiroth asked.<br>"I don't turn down dares. I may be a girl, but not much scares me." I replied. Sephiroth hummed a thinking tune. This was going to be interesting. Serah walked up to us with her friends in tow.  
>"Hey Light! You found some friends! Great!" Serah chirped.<br>"Genesis, Angeal, Sephiroth, this is my sister Serah." I said and Serah waved to the three boys. She and her friends left the table to go and sit with Aerith and her posse. I took a sip of my chocolate milk.  
>"I dare you... hmm, to sign up for performing at prom." Sephiroth said. I almost choked on my chocolate milk.<br>"No! Hell, no!" I replied and put the milk back on the tray.  
>"She's scared of embarrassment." Genesis replied.<br>"Are you going to do it?" Angeal asked. I took a breath and made my decision. I knew it was one I was going to regret.  
>"Yes." I replied with a worried sigh.<br>"But if I sign up for prom entertainment, Genesis has to audition for the school play." I added. Genesis gulped nervously.  
>"Deal?" I asked. Genesis sighed and nodded his head.<br>"Fears need to be faced eventually." He replied. Well, looks like music class is rehearsal time. The bell rang for the next set of classes, my first music lesson.

I headed back to my locker and picked out my lyric book, a blank book and my pencil case. I put one of my spare picks into my pencil case, in case of emergency. I was supposed to be in room P3. Sephiroth came by my locker alone with his books in hand.  
>"Aerith ditched me... again." He replied.<br>"Care to take me to room P3?" I asked.  
>"Sure." He replied and then led me through the corridor which was filled with posters cheering on the Midgar Monarchs. He stopped before a room which was already filled with students.<br>"Thanks." I said.  
>"No worries." He replied and then headed off to class.<p>

The teacher turned to see me at the door and then waved me in.  
>"Come in. Are you the new student?" she asked. The teacher was blonde and had bright blue eyes. She looked a lot like Serah's friend Cloud.<br>"Yeah." I replied.  
>"Well, sit over here." She said and pointed to a chair in the front row next to a girl with a piccolo and a guy with a saxophone.<br>"Can our new student stand up, tell the whole class her name and what experience she has with music?" she asked. I stood up and twenty six pairs of eyes all stared at me.  
>"I'm Claire Farron, but I prefer Lightning or Light. I mostly play the lead guitar. But I have experience with the piano, the drums, the cello, the bass and the violin." I replied and sat back down.<br>"Well, quite diversity you have. I'm Mrs. Strife and don't be afraid to ask me for anything." She said and then turned back to the class. She was quite an eccentric woman.

"Right, today you will present songs you all have written for homework. Each student will perform their piece in their group or by themselves and the best one will be rehearsed by the class and performed at prom." She explained. Everyone groaned but this was a bonus for me. Sephiroth never specified if I had to go solo or in a group. So even if it wasn't my song, I still fulfilled the dare. I picked up my lyric book and flicked through it. The only song that was finished enough to present was the one I wrote as a tribute to mum and dad, 'Crying over you'. I only finished the lead score and had started on the violin score. I picked up my pick and held it tightly in my hand.

"I'll pick a person at random. Even if you have to make it up on the spot, do it. You don't have to sing for it to be a song." She explained and went down her roll.  
>"Kevin, James, Reno and Elena. You first." Mrs. Strife said and the four students moaned. They got up and then they played a metal song. I guessed it was made up on the spot as there was planning to it at all. When they finished, the class clapped and Mrs. Strife called another set of names. It went on like that until it came down to only me.<br>"Claire. Show us something." Mrs. Strife said and I reluctantly got out of my seat and picked up a burgundy electric guitar. I gripped my pick for dear life. My heart raced and I began to feel sick. I pushed that feeling out of my mind and told myself that I could do this. I began to strum the first chord and them I imagined that I was back home in Bodhum, sitting on the couch and just playing the song for enjoyment. My pulse began to slow down as I began to harmonise with the guitar. The song was written to mimic the slow yet haunting melody of mum's music, but to mimic the hard rock of dad's music. 'Crying over you' was about losing someone you cared about and never got the chance to tell them how much they really meant to you. It could be very easily mistaken as a love song. It kind of was, but it wasn't about losing true love. More like family love.

The fantasy of being back home ended as I was brought back to reality with the final note. A silence filled the air. I put the burgundy guitar down and went back to my seat.  
>"Did you just make that up?" Mrs. Strife asked.<br>"No. I wrote it back in my hometown." I replied.  
>"Does it have a name?" the red haired boy named Reno asked.<br>"Crying over you." I replied. Mrs. Strife looked at me with an interested gaze. It was almost as if she was trying to figure out if I had music running through my veins. Her face lightened.  
>"Very interesting. And who was this for?" she asked.<br>"That's a personal question." I replied.  
>"A special boy maybe?" she asked.<br>"No, my parents." I replied. She was an odd piece of work. It was as if she wanted to know the ins and outs of this one song. Reno leaned up to my ear.  
>"Yo, Light. If she asks all of these questions about it, she likes it." He whispered.<br>"Thanks." I replied and he sat back down in his chair and chatted to Elena.

I looked up at the door to find three smiling faces give me all their thumbs up. Genesis, Angeal and Sephiroth.  
>Mrs. Strife turned to find the three of them at the door and then yelled, "Go on! Shoo! Shoo!" She went up to them and then chased them out of the doorway. I chuckled as she came back into the classroom.<br>"Seniors..." she said with a shrug. They wandered back to the doorway and they laughed silently. The bell went and everybody picked up their books.  
>"Right, next lesson we will start rehearsing for the prom performance. Any nominations?" she asked. The first group of students that went up nominated my song.<br>"Any others?" she asked. Everyone shook their heads except for me.  
>"Good, all in favour of 'Crying over you'?" she asked. The whole class put up their hand except me. Even the three seniors at the door put up their hand as a joke.<br>"Great. We will all help Claire finish off the song. Class dismissed!" She exclaimed and pranced over to her desk.

"Great song. Where did you learn to play like that?" Angeal asked.  
>"My dad taught me." I replied, trying to mask my sorrow.<br>"I guess you got over your fear." Genesis said and punched my arm light-heartedly.  
>"I never knew you were a muso." Sephiroth said.<br>"Yeah, like everybody, I have my secrets." I replied and headed off to my locker. Aerith waited by my locker and stared me down. I just ignored her and opened my locker. I put my books away and then grabbed my satchel before closing the door.  
>"Leave Sephiroth alone. He's mine." Aerith snarled.<br>"He's my friend. And he's dating you. Why would I do that to a friend?" I asked and then walked away.

Hamburgers and salad for lunch. I met the guys with my tray at their table and then sat in between Genesis and Sephiroth. Genesis was once again reading 'Loveless'. Angeal was studying for an English essay he had next. Sephiroth was busy concocting a training schedule for the combat team. Aerith walked behind me and then hit me on the head with the corner of her tray.  
>"Oops. My bad." She said with a frown and then sat next to Sephiroth. She lifted Sephiroth's chin and then kissed him. I rolled my eyes at her and she let his lips go. He shrugged his shoulders and then went back to designing the schedule. She pushed his bangs off of his face and then kissed his cheek.<br>"Stop it!" he hissed at her and then went back to work. I got up and took my empty tray with me. Sephiroth looked up and me and shook his head at me. It almost seemed as if he didn't want to be around Aerith without me.

"I got to go stretch." I said and left the table.  
>"Can I watch?" Angeal asked.<br>"No." I replied and then Aerith stopped me in my tracks. She splashed her chocolate milk onto me. I walked off in the opposite direction of the gym to wash up when Aerith tripped me over. Despite her best efforts to embarrass me, Sephiroth caught me just before I hit the tiled floor.  
>"Thanks." I said.<br>"No problems." He replied and then pulled me up. Aerith shook her head at Sephiroth and then slapped him on the back of the head.  
>"What is your problem?" I asked the bitchy teen.<br>"You and that you're too good of a friend to my boyfriend!" she exclaimed with an angry huff.  
>"Face it. You don't like that fact that some girl actually treats him like an actual human being and not like a puppet that earns her brownie points." I replied and then turned to walk away. She pulled me back by my shoulder. She went to punch me, but I caught her hand and then twisted it behind her back.<br>"I'm training to be a soldier. You think that you can beat a girl with experience in the field?" I asked and then let her go. She started to cry.  
>"Put a sock in it, bitch!" I exclaimed and pulled her braid before storming off to the bathroom.<p>

The chocolate milk stained my white shirt. Great. It was all over the shirt and it seemed that even strong detergent wouldn't get it out. Luckily, I kept a jumper in my satchel. It was a black jumper that only came up to my middle section. Under the jumper, the stain showed on the shirt. I sighed and tucked the shirt under my jumper and realised that I was going to get into trouble as my piercing showed. Damn you, Aerith! I decided that it wasn't worth fussing over and the bell rang. Time to try out for the cheer squad. I checked my schedule and I had two frees. That was good timing.

I headed down to the gym where a group of girls waited in a line for the try outs. There were a few guys probably only trying out to flirt with the ladies. I rolled my eyes at the guys flexing their small muscles. The line trimmed down person by person. Some of the girls that tried out ran out crying. Their eyes were surrounded by their make up running down their faces. What cheer squad would be that much like a Pulse fal'cie? Then, it came down to my turn.


	6. Chapter 6

I walked into the gym and a panel of cheerleaders sat on the other end of the gym with their eyes staring me down like a behemoth would a chocobos. I reminded myself that they were just another pack of Aeriths. I took a deep breath and stepped forward.  
>"Name?" a brown haired guy asked.<br>"Claire Farron." I replied.  
>"Well, follow what Jessie does and we'll see if you are Monarch material." A blonde girl wearing too much pink lipstick replied. The girl named Jessie lifted her hand and then stood in front of me. She did a simple set of arm movements whilst chanting a little cheer and it was followed by a fame jump. I mimicked her movements as best as I could.<p>

"Not bad, pinkie. Now try this." Jessie said and did a round of flips topped off with a twist. I smiled. Sanctum trained us girls to be as flexible and as agile as a gymnast. I followed her movements once more and then paused before the panel. They nodded their heads and then wrote something down.  
>"Right, one more thing. Sam here will throw you in the air and then I want you to do exactly what I do." Jessie said and then the brown haired guy came over, picked up Jessie and threw her into the air. She did a fame jump and then a twist on the way down. Sam caught her and placed her on the ground again. She nodded and then told Sam to do the same. He picked me up and threw me into the air. A rush of adrenalin kicked in and then I executed the moves as best as I could before Sam caught me and placed me on the ground again.<p>

All of a sudden, the combat team led by Sephiroth wandered in. Genesis and Angeal were trailing right behind him. Angeal laughed at me. I shook my head at the dark haired guy.  
>"Well, since you are the best we've seen so far, let's see what the combat team think." Jessie said and pointed to the boys who settled down on the bleachers.<br>"Remember all you learned today." Jessie said and then sat down at the panel. I took in a deep breath and managed to pull off the routine. The boys sitting on the bleachers wolf whistled and clapped. I didn't know if I was that good. Angeal, Genesis and Sephiroth gave me a standing ovation. I shook my head at the boys who seemed to cheer all the louder. The panel of cheerleaders came up behind me with a clipboard in each hand.  
>"Well, that's that part sorted. There is one more criteria to fill. To be a Midgar Monarch, you need not only the skill, but the look. Boys, what do you think?" Jessie asked and the team cheered.<p>

The team came off of the bleachers to closely inspect me. It seemed that they were enjoying this. It probably wasn't everyday when they could inspect a potential cheerleader. One by one, the boys all told Jessie what they thought and she wrote it down.  
>"So far, the whole team minus the captain has voted you to be hot. Let's see what the captain thinks." Jessie replied and then Sephiroth came off of the bleachers. He walked around me and then looked me up and down. He looked at the metal rod in my navel and then to my face with an eyebrow raised. I shrugged my shoulders and then he whispered something into Jessie's ear. He stood next to Genesis and Angeal who seemed to ask him what he thought. He replied to their question and Angeal did a little dance. I chuckled at the dancing military student.<br>"Congrats. Welcome to the Midgar Monarchs. Come with Chloe and I and we'll get you a uniform." Jessie replied and the team shouted in rejoice.

The two girls led me into the girls' locker rooms. It smelt of various perfumes and hair product. A locked room was opened and the light flickered on. Chloe pulled me into the room and then handed me a uniform. It was just like the ones they wore, black and white with MONARCHS written in red across the chest.  
>"Try it on in that room over there." Jessie said and pointed to a little corner covered by a curtain. I put the uniform and it fit me perfectly. The top was a simple crop that stopped in the middle of the torso. The skirt sat on my hip and was no shorter than my sergeant uniform. Even the shorts underneath fit well. I came out and then the two girls checked my uniform to make sure that it wasn't too small or too tight. They nodded and then I picked up my satchel full of my clothes. I was led back into the gym where the squad waited for me.<p>

The boys on the combat team had started to practice for their match against another school in two days. Some of the boys turned around and then they whistled again. The boys sparring stopped and stared at me. I gave them a flirty smile and a quick twirl. Angeal came up to me and shook his head.  
>"Lightning, you naughty girl!" he exclaimed. I gave him a shove and both the squad and the combat team gasped. He just chuckled and then left.<br>"Yeah, laugh it up Angeal." I replied and rolled my eyes at him. Genesis gave me a flirty wink.  
>"Grow up!" I remarked.<br>"I like not being mature." He replied and stuck his tongue out before sparring with Angeal again.

Sephiroth gave me a sideways glance before coaching the boys and making sure that were hitting each other right. The cheerleaders sat on the bleachers and cheered on the boys. Well, at least the female cheerleaders anyways. The males wandered off to the weights room to work out. Genesis and Angeal were fairly lethal fighters. But nobody would think to mess with Sephiroth. His blade named Masamune was a massive katana. He fought with grace, speed and strength. He took down his opponent in eight swings which the cheerleaders said was called, 'Octaslash'.  
>"Does anyone dare challenge me?" Angeal asked and the boys laughed. Sephiroth shook his head at his immature friend.<br>"I will." I replied and stood up. I pulled out my Blazefire Pistol and headed down onto the wooden floor. I flicked the gun into sword mode and held it behind me.  
>"Are you nuts?" Jessie exclaimed. I just smiled and the battle began.<p>

I wasn't going to let Angeal take me down. When he went to swing at me, I flipped out of the way and then struck him down when he didn't notice. He was down within three blows. I flicked the blade back to gun mode and aimed it at the aspiring soldier. I then chuckled and pulled him off of the ground.  
>"Well played." He said and held out his hand.<br>"You too." I replied and we shook hands. Both the combat team and the squad stared at me in confusion. I put the gunblade back into my bag.  
>"Why didn't you try out for the combat team?" the blonde haired Chloe asked.<br>"I didn't want to be the only girl." I replied and the girls completely understood. We spent the rest of the period watching the boys work up a sweat.

Sephiroth's shirt was wet with sweat. He whipped it off and then continued to train with his team. The cheerleaders went crazy. They squealed and one of them almost fainted. I must say, he has an awesome body. His arms and his abs were perfectly toned. There was no fat on this boy whatsoever. I whistled at him and he shook his head at me.  
>"He's so hot." Jessie uttered.<br>"I know. Shame he's with that bitch, Aerith. He wants to go out with her; you know just the two of them? But she's only using him for popularity as she won't go out with him without her friends. I mean, if you had a chance with him, would you use him to improve your status or to really be with him?" I asked. They all answered popularity. I rolled my eyes at the squad.  
>"Do you want to guy to be happy or to be frustrated when you're dating him?" I asked. The cheerleaders agreed that even though they would use Sephiroth for popularity, they would still want to see him happy.<br>"She's frustrating him. I see it all the time. The poor thing." I said and the girls sighed. They didn't want to listen to me taking his side anymore and watched him fight. So, I did the same. Damn that boy was hot.

The last bell rang and we left the gym. Sephiroth went to get his shirt as Genesis and Angeal met me on the wooden floor.  
>"Wow, I never knew a girl could fight like that!" Genesis exclaimed. Sephiroth came over to us and slid his shirt over his head.<br>"You three are impressive fighters. Especially you, Seph." I said. He looked at the ground. Aerith stormed into the gym with Serah, Cloud, Caius, Yeul and Tifa in tow.  
>"Come on. We're going to see that movie tonight." Aerith said and eyed me evilly. Serah looked at me in shock.<br>"You got into the cheer squad?!" she asked in shock.  
>"Yep. And the music class is using my song for the prom." I replied. Aerith grabbed Sephiroth by the wrist and dragged him out of the gym. He pulled away from her with ease and came back to Genesis, Angeal and I.<br>"I'll catch you later." He said and then left the gym with Aerith and her friends.

The other two followed me to my locker and I picked up a few things, shoved it into my satchel and then closed my locker. They already had their bags with them.  
>"For Sephiroth's sake, I think we should break him and Aerith up. He doesn't deserve this treatment." I said.<br>"Genesis and I agree. We tried once, but it didn't work. We told him that she was a nasty piece of work and he didn't believe us at first. He now believes us and she won't let him break up with her." Angeal replied.

We walked outside and then stood at the side of the school.  
>"What if she caught him cheating?" I asked.<br>"Wouldn't work. She always keeps her claws in him." Genesis replied.  
>"Maybe we can put something together based on what we know." I said.<br>"Like what?" Angeal asked. Then it twigged.  
>"She sees me as a threat because I'm the only girl who treats him like a human and not a pet. I know what would tip her off the edge to break up with him." I replied.<br>"Like kiss him? Light, you're crazy! You don't mind me calling you Light do you?" Genesis asked.  
>"No, all my friends do." I replied.<br>"Crazy... but if she focused on getting rid of me and not on using Sephiroth; you guys could cook up something and bring him peace." I suggested.  
>"Sounds good, but Aerith got a girl expelled just because she said 'Hi' to him!" Angeal replied.<br>"I don't care. Sephiroth's happiness comes before having my rear end kicked out of school." I said.  
>"Good, let's start tomorrow. We need him to be single for prom two weeks away." Genesis replied.<br>"I can work with that." I said and then we waved goodbye, only to cook up more ideas to save Sephiroth from Aerith.

I got home and Uncle Rufus opened the door.  
>"Have you seen Serah?" He asked.<br>"Yeah, she's watching a movie with her friends." I replied. He sighed with relief and let me into the house. I went into my bedroom and thought up some ideas on how to make Sephiroth swoon, but to make Aerith jealous. I took my dirty clothes into the laundry. The doorbell rang and I raced downstairs to answer it. Genesis and Angeal stood behind the mahogany door.  
>"Hey guys. Come in." I said and stood back to let the boys in. I shut the door behind them and Uncle Rufus ran in.<br>"Claire?" he asked and folded his arms across his chest.  
>"Genesis and Angeal, this is my uncle Rufus. Uncle, they're my friends." I replied. He removed his arms from his chest and nodded.<br>"Good." He said and let us go upstairs into my room with the door shut.

Angeal and Genesis sat on my bed and looked around. Genesis saw my guitar.  
>"Who's is it?" he asked.<br>"It was my dad's." I replied. Angeal got up and inspected my two posters.  
>"Who are they?" he asked, trying to decipher the writing.<br>"Storm Blade and Clawed Hearts. Very famous bands back home. Clawed Hearts are a stringed orchestra and Storm Blade are a rock band. They did one song together and it was amazing. It was called, 'In Love (always with you)'. It was a mix of the two styles." I replied and he sat back down on the bed.  
>"Ok. We need to plot a little more." Genesis said.<br>"I agree." Angeal replied.  
>"I've done some thinking. We need something to make Sephiroth swoon, but also to make Aerith jealous. Any ideas?" I asked. The two thought for a moment and then Genesis had an idea.<br>"I remember him telling us that he likes... I forgot." Genesis said and then we sighed.

"Wait. Sephiroth is a bit of a romantic. So give him a red rose and he'll like you, but he won't swoon. But he thinks that kissing in a thunderstorm is romantic. He also loves girls who aren't afraid to be themselves around him. He also loves the muso girls because they are so in touch with their emotions." Angeal said.  
>"Genius!" I exclaimed. We rushed down to the television and flicked to the weather channel. According to the television, tomorrow was going to storm.<br>"That's part one. Help me with part two." I replied and pulled them back to my room. I picked up my guitar and my lyric book.  
>"A song. What type of music is he into?" I asked.<br>"He likes any music." Genesis replied. So I came up with a song on the spot and asked the boys what they thought.  
>"Work on it a little bit." Angeal suggested. Genesis' phone bleeped. He checked it and then put it back.<br>"Seph wants us to bail him out of an Aerith moment. We have to go." Genesis replied.  
>"Don't worry, I'll finish it. Thanks for helping." I replied and they left the house.<p>

By the time Serah came back from the movies, the song was finished. I called it, 'Keeper of my heart'. Corny, but I hoped that it would do the job. After dinner, I studied the notes of the song and then went to sleep, hoping that it would storm tomorrow. My mind danced along to 'In Love (always with you)' as I concocted a way to sing that song to Seph with Aerith present.


	7. Chapter 7

The storm clouds rolled in and I smiled. Drops of rain began to fall. I heard Aerith scream when the thunder crashed. Lightning forked across the sky in a dazzling display of might. Aerith ran inside and dragged Sephiroth in with her. The bell for homeroom rang. I had my cheer uniform in my satchel, because I was going to be sopping wet when I had finished this.

The boys and I had two frees after homeroom. Sephiroth, Genesis and Angeal sat at their usual table and talked about homework. I sat next to Sephiroth and draped my arm around his shoulder. He looked at me and smiled. I went to kiss him and Aerith stormed over and slapped me. I rose from my seat and went to strike her when the thunder crashed. She screamed and ducked for cover. She ran to Seph and cuddled him. The bell for our first free went. And Aerith had to go to class. I waved her goodbye and kissed Sephiroth's cheek. She threw me a death stare and left the classroom.  
>"What's up with you, Lightning?" he asked. I just chuckled.<br>"Come with me." I replied and dragged him outside into the rain.

I had hid a rose here earlier this morning. I picked it up and gave it to him.  
>"I wrote you a song. I hope you like it." I replied and began to sing along to the crashes of thunder. The rain didn't bother me and the thunder sounded like the Bodhum fireworks. Bang, bang... I imagined being there with him as the fireworks danced in their dome. The colours stained the night sky dor a few seconds before letting a new splash of colour explode. The rain drops fell onto my face and soothed the burning on my cheeks. After I sung the final note, he seemed to be touched.<br>"That was beautiful." He replied and kissed my cheek. My heart stopped as his soft lips touched my burning cheeks.

Sephiroth took me into his arms and I snuggled into his chest as the rain kissed my skin.  
>"What was the song called?" he asked. I could feel his heartbeat beating quicker than normal. I smiled.<br>"It's called 'Keeper of my heart'. That's what you are. You stole my heart the second I met you." I replied. I couldn't lie to him and I didn't want to keep the truth from him either.  
>"How are you so good with music? It sounds so much like that of Storm Blade and Clawed Hearts. How can you word things like a professional?" he asked.<br>"You a fan?" I asked.  
>"Yeah, I know that the titles are in a different language and I've had the script translated. It sounds stupid right?" he asked. I tried to hold back my answer, but he charmed me into telling him.<br>"It's not. The reason my music sounds like them is because my father was the lead singer and lead guitarist of Storm Blade and my mother was the conductor and lead violinist of Clawed Hearts. I guess it came from them." I replied.  
>"You've got to be joking!" He exclaimed and pushed me away.<br>"I'm not." I replied.  
>"Can you prove it?" he asked.<p>

I had no proof. Except the lullabies.  
>"You know the songs 'Princess Dreams' and 'A Prayer for you'?" I asked.<br>"Yeah?" He asked in reply.  
>"Mum wrote 'princess dreams' for Serah. Dad wrote 'a prayer for you' for me." I replied.<br>"I don't believe you." He said.  
>"I'm telling you the truth! I swear on my parents' graves! I'm not lying!" I exclaimed as tears welled up in my eyes. I let a tear travel down my cheek and the rain only made the tear bigger as other drops joined the tear.<br>"I thought you were different." He replied and went to climb through the window.  
>"Would I be begging you if I wasn't?" I asked and tried to mask the sorrow in my voice. He stopped and walked back to me, his green eyes blazing with fury.<p>

I stepped back and the thunder roared as the lightning struck the ground next to me. I didn't flinch; I just let the tears roll down my cheeks.  
>"I should have never left Bodhum!" I exclaimed and ran off. I sat underneath a tree and buried my face in my arms. I never should have opened my heart to a guy like him. I never should have tried to get him to break up with Aerith. I never should have left home. I'm sure being teased by my ex wouldn't have even hurt this much. Not even close to how crap I felt now. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. I was wet, crying and broken. Love is a bitch.<p>

I heard the squelch of footsteps near the tree. There was only one set. I didn't care who it was, I just wanted to go home to Bodhum, whether Serah would come with me or not. Thunder roared again as the person looked underneath the tree at me. Lightning lit up the sky and from the corner of my eye, I saw Sephiroth kneeling next to me.  
>"Leave me alone!" I exclaimed and left the tree. He grabbed my wrist and made me try and face him.<br>"I know why you did this. Genesis and Angeal told me the whole thing. I never meant to shout at you." He said. The bell for the second period went. I ripped my wrist from his grip and stormed into the distance. I wiped the tears away from my eyes as I realised how much of a fool I really was. I lost a friend just by trying to help him through his problems. Could this day get any worse?

I sat on the bleachers of the football field and let the rain batter me. I let myself almost want to drown in my own sorrow.  
>"Claire?" I heard Serah ask over the pitter patter of the rain.<br>"Yeah?" I asked and tried to hold back my tears.  
>"What happened?" she asked and held her umbrella over the two of us.<br>"I was stupid to even think that he would believe me. I'm a fool. I can't even get a stupid plan to work." I replied.  
>"You tried to steal Aerith's boyfriend." Serah said.<br>"There was more to it than that. I wanted to make him happy. Aerith was giving him frustration and I wanted to give her a reason to break up with him or even vice versa. And I failed. I'm a bad person." I replied and left Serah under her purple umbrella and sat on the wettest part of the bleachers. Serah placed her hand on my shoulder and then left.

I let the tears fall again. At this point, I just wanted a behemoth to kill me or to even take me back to Gran Pulse or better, Cocoon. I didn't want to stay in Midgar much longer. I climbed the nearest tree to the top. I looked down and realised that this was the tallest tree on the oval. I looked up at the sky and sighed. I looked down again to find Genesis and Angeal running through the rain. They were shouting at me, but I could barely hear them over the rain and the thunder. A bolt of lightning struck the branch I was perched on and I grabbed the one underneath me. I clung on for dear life. If I slipped and didn't get lucky by grabbing another branch, I was a good as dead. The thunder roared again and the lightning struck the branch I was holding. That one snapped and I fell again. I reached for the nearest branch and missed by a centimetre. I tried to grab another, but I was too slow and I ended up having to plummet towards the ground. I closed my eyes and braced for impact.

That impact never came. I opened my eyes to find that Sephiroth had caught me. He put me down gently as Genesis and Angeal ran over to us.  
>"Are you nuts?" Sephiroth asked me in disbelief. I went to run away again as I didn't want to face him like this. He pulled me close and pressed his lips up against mine. This took me by surprise, but then I let his lips caress mine and my eyes closed with pleasure. His hands rested on my lower back as I ran my fingers through his soft hair. A flash of light lit up the sky, but Sephiroth still kept me in his arms. If anything, his kisses became more passionate by the second. His hands went wandering up and down my back. I could see how he found this romantic. It was just the two of you as everyone else didn't want to get wet. His lips almost never left mine. The emotion between us was electric and I didn't want it to ever end.<p>

"You psychopathic, man stealing bitch!" Aerith exclaimed. Sephiroth pulled his lips away from mine and then shook his head at Aerith.  
>"Back off Aerith." He snapped. She stood there with her eyes wide with shock. One girl stood behind her with a purple umbrella.<br>"Serah? Is that you?" I asked.  
>"Yeah." She replied.<br>"You told her? How could you?! I thought you were my sister! How can I trust you?!" I exclaimed at my little sister. She sniffled a little and then began to cry.  
>"I'm only looking out for Aerith. She's my friend!" Serah replied with a sniffle.<br>"Well, Sephiroth's my friend and I want him to be happy. Aerith is frustrating him! If only you saw what Genesis, Angeal and I see every day, you would have done the same thing!" I exclaimed.  
>"No! I wouldn't have! Because I'm not you Claire!" Serah replied. I had never heard Serah yell at me before.<p>

Aerith gave Serah a comforting hug.  
>"You truly are a monster, Lightning!" Aerith exclaimed and Serah let her tears run down her face. Serah and I had never fought like this before.<br>"No, you are Aerith! You manipulate people and then discard them when you don't need them anymore. Why you used me for two years!" Sephiroth snapped. Aerith's jaw almost hit the muddy grass.  
>"Seph, why would I use you hon?" she asked with sorrow in her voice.<br>"The same reason you're using Serah! Aerith, I'm finished with you. We're done." He replied and led Genesis, Angeal and I back into the school building.


	8. Chapter 8

I swung my satchel over my shoulder and the headed into the toilets to get into my cheer uniform. I came out and Genesis whistled. I shook my head at the cheeky auburn and he was joined by his other friends. It seemed that they had warned Seph to bring an extra set of clothes.  
>"You ok?" I asked.<br>"Never better. Thanks guys." He replied. Genesis and Angeal chuckled. A gust of air rushed through the hall and sent shivers down my spine. Sephiroth took of his brown trench coat and draped it over my shoulders.  
>"Thanks, but won't you need it?" I asked.<br>"I'm not the one in a cheer uniform." He replied. I laughed and he put his arm around my waist. Genesis and Angeal looked at each other and smiled.  
>"Very cute." Angeal commented.<br>"Very immature." Sephiroth replied. Genesis and Angeal chuckled. The bell for recess went and the four of us headed into the cafeteria.

"Hey Seph, now that you and Aerith are over, when are you thinking of dating again?" Angeal asked. I ate some of the raspberry jelly from the cup on my tray. From the corner of my eye, I saw Sephiroth smile at me.  
>"Not until prom." He replied.<br>"Fair enough." I said. Genesis was reading his book again.  
>"Guess what?" he asked as he put the book away.<br>"What, bookworm?" Angeal asked with a cheeky smile. Genesis smiled.  
>"You auditioned?" I asked. He nodded.<br>"You didn't get in?" Angeal asked. Genesis shook his head.  
>"You got a minor part?" Sephiroth asked. He shook his head again.<br>"You got the lead?" I asked.  
>"Yep! I'm one of the main characters!" he exclaimed.<br>"Good on you." I replied.

Chloe and Jessie wandered over to our table.  
>"Hey Claire. Practice tonight." Chloe said. Genesis waved to Chloe and she bit her lip. I rolled my eyes at Genesis.<br>"Cool. See you there." I replied and the girls walked away. Genesis stared at Chloe. He was infatuated with Chloe, even a hobo would figure that out in two seconds. If there was anything Genesis wasn't, it was subtle.  
>"Ooh! Genesis and Chloe Rhapsodos! How cute! Genesis likes a cheerleader!" I exclaimed quietly. Genesis tried to hold my lips shut.<br>"Very discreet, Genesis." Angeal replied. I pulled his hands off of my lips.  
>"Listen, I could try to get you a date. You interested?" I asked. He nodded.<p>

I got out of my seat and wandered over to the cheerleaders.  
>"Hey guys!" I exclaimed.<br>"Hey Claire! What's up?" Jessie asked.  
>"I'd like to talk with Chloe about... acting issues." I replied. Chloe got up and I led her over to our table. I could see that Genesis was getting pretty nervy at this point. Chloe saw Genesis and tried to go back to the cheerleaders. I pulled her back.<br>"You're nervous?" I asked.  
>"He's a senior! I can't date a senior!" she replied.<br>"Of course you can. He really likes you." I said.  
>"Really?" she asked.<br>"Totally. Look, he wants to ask you out." I replied. She relaxed a little and allowed me to bring her over to the boys.

"Hi Genesis." Chloe said with a flirty wave.  
>"Hey Chloe." He replied with a nervy tone running through his voice. She picked up on this and then took control of the situation. She ran her fingers through his hair and he sighed with delight.<br>"Do you want to see that movie everyone's talking about tonight?" Chloe asked.  
>"The 'Emails to My Love' one?" he asked in reply.<br>"No, the blockbuster. Um... 'Shields of Fury'." She replied. His eyes opened in shock.  
>"That movie looks awesome! Yeah, I'd love to see it with you!" Genesis exclaimed. Chloe jumped up and down with excitement and kissed Genesis on the cheek.<br>"I'll see you tonight at eight." She replied and headed back to the cheerleaders' table.

Genesis went a bright red in the cheeks. I sat back down and chuckled at him.  
>"Aw... Genesis has a date!" I mused. Angeal patted him on the back and Sephiroth gave him a high-five.<br>"Thank you, Lightning!" He exclaimed.  
>"Oh dear. Don't burn out of energy. You'll need it for tonight." I replied. Angeal shook his head at Sephiroth. I turned to see what the cheeky boy was doing and he just pretended to do nothing. I gave Angeal a confused glance. Angeal told me through charades that he had tried to put his arm around my waist. I took Sephiroth's jacket off and gave it back to him.<br>"Thanks for letting me borrow it." I said.  
>"Don't worry about it." He replied and kissed my cheek. I felt my cheeks start to burn.<br>"We have course next. The exam is two days before prom. Then the day before prom, we find out who gets to go to the Sanctum Academy for three weeks." Angeal said.  
>"Wait, like my previous school?" I asked.<br>"Yeah. The top four are the only ones that go." Angeal replied.  
>"So, what term is it?" I asked.<br>"Fourth. The three of us have to start looking into the Shinra Military Academy." Genesis replied. I can go back to Bodhum for the rest of my study, with or without Serah.

The bell went and we headed to class. Mr. McCrae stood at the front of the class with a sheet of paper in his hands. He handed one to each student.  
>"The exam is in a week. You guys need to start getting your notes and study sessions together. Claire, you have a lot to catch up on." Mr. McCrae explained. I looked at the sheet and sighed. I knew all of this.<br>"It's going to be hard to catch up. Are you going to be ok?" Sephiroth asked.  
>"Yeah, I learnt all this already. I should be fine, just a matter of going over it." I replied.<br>"I could help you study if you wanted." Sephiroth said.  
>"Yeah, it's always easier in numbers to study. Because everyone has a different strategy." I replied.<br>"You have two periods to start studying. Begin." Mr. McCrae replied. I opened my text book and hid my lyric book in my notebook. I began to write the bass and the drum scores for 'Crying over you'.

"Naughty girl." Sephiroth whispered.  
>"I have to get it done before prom." I replied and continued to write the different scores.<br>"Crap! I just forgot!" I silently exclaimed.  
>"What?" Sephiroth asked.<br>"No one but me can read Cocoon Script in my class!" I replied. I quickly wrote the lyrics in English and continued with the score. I had just finished the backup score when Mr. McCrae caught me writing in my lyric book.  
>"Claire, put it away." He said and I put the book in my satchel.<br>"Done." I sighed with relief and then Sephiroth patted my shoulder.  
>"I can't believe that senior year is almost over." Sephiroth sighed. I gave him an apologetic smile.<br>"Make the rest count!" I exclaimed quietly and went back to studying. The bell for fourth period rang and I flipped through the pages, trying to memorise as many things as I could.

"Light. You'll be fine." Sephiroth said.  
>"Thanks." I replied and went back to studying. I did remember all of this. The words flooded into my mind and I knew that this exam would be a breeze. It was the performance at prom that I was worried about. I didn't want it to be terrible or a complete waste of time. The bell for lunch rang and we left the classroom and went to lunch.<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

Mrs. Strife was in her moods. I tried to teach everyone their roles, but things weren't working out well at all. First of all, Mrs. Strife pulled the number and we weren't going to do the performance. At least I got out of the dare. We watched musicals the whole lesson. All that stressing about that song for nothing... oh well, these things happen.

I came back from cheer practice and Uncle Rufus waited for me to get home.  
>"Claire, you are in serious trouble." He angrily announced and pulled me into the living room. He dumped me onto the couch. Serah sat on the stool with her eyes down to the floor. I was about to find out why.<br>"Why did you kiss Serah's friend's boyfriend?" he asked furiously with his arms folded across his chest.  
>"Alright. You know Aerith's side of the story, but you don't know Sephiroth's! Aerith was only using him to increase her popularity. His other friends and I cooked up a plan to split them up. It blew up in my face and I almost died. I guess the way I did it was wrong, but his friends said that they tried almost everything and it didn't work. You should have seen him before the break up! He was always frustrated or angry because she was pissing him off with the fact that he was the only one organising dates alone! She didn't want to be alone with him on the dates and only around her own friends and never his as well. Well, she was around them but they hate her. I did it with good reason." I replied. Uncle Rufus stared me down like a behemoth would his naughty offspring.<br>"To your room. And you're not going to that prom." He said.  
>"Serah! You sold me out twice in one day?! How could you? You're not my sister anymore, you're Aerith's pawn! You know what, forget this!" I exclaimed at my traitor of a sister and stormed into my room and slammed the door behind me.<p>

I flopped onto my bed and sighed. I pulled out my text book and studied for the exam next week. I wanted... no, I needed to be in the top four. I needed to go home and be around the people who get me. It would be even better if Angeal, Genesis and Sephiroth came along. I sighed again. I decided to play a trick on Serah. Before dad died, he gave me a guitar similar to his. It looked the same, but dad's guitar had an unnoticeable thunder bolt on the left corner. I switched the guitars and hid the original. I ever so slightly opened the door so that they could see me and hear me.

"I hate you! I hate all of you!" I exclaimed and picked up the fake guitar. Serah looked up at me and I raised the guitar above my head.  
>"Claire, no!" Serah exclaimed and raced upstairs. I was about to smash the fake when Serah and Uncle Rufus came up the stairs.<br>"Claire, put the guitar. Down." Uncle Rufus said.  
>"You're not my father." I hissed.<br>"Claire, think about this." Serah replied.  
>"My family are full of traitors! Why should I have any remnants of them?" I asked with fury and smashed the guitar against my bedpost. Serah completely lost it when the pieces fell to the floor. She grabbed me and went to swing at me. I caught her fist and used it to strike her. Serah fell to the floor and began to cry. She held the pieces in her hands and let her tears fall onto them.<p>

I stormed down the stairs. Uncle Rufus pulled me aside.  
>"What the hell was that?" He asked and pointed upstairs.<br>"I need to desensitise myself. I won't be a good soldier if I don't." I replied and headed for the door.  
>"Don't you dare leave this house!" he exclaimed. I turned to face him and I could feel the fury building up inside of me.<br>"Why not?" I hissed.  
>"You are in big trouble, young lady! Smashing your father's guitar is the last straw! I'm sending you back to Bodhum and you can finish your schooling there! Ungrateful kid!" He exclaimed and walked away.<br>"If that was all it took to get me back home, I would have done it ages ago!" I snapped. The doorbell rang and I stormed to the door. I opened it and Sephiroth stood in the doorway.

"Are you alright?" he asked.  
>"No. I'm going back home. Apparently, it's a punishment." I replied and sighed.<br>"But what about your exams? What about prom?" he asked.  
>"No prom. I'm guessing it's finish the school year and then go back home." I replied.<br>"But why not?" he asked. This was clearly hurting him. I could see it in his cat like eyes.  
>"Because of the Aerith incident today, I'm not allowed to go." I replied. He sighed sadly and then looked at the ground.<br>"What did you do to get you sent home though?" he asked. I chuckled.  
>"It was a mix of the Aerith incident and smashing 'dad's' guitar." I replied. He looked confused.<br>"Before he died, he gave me a replica of his guitar. I smashed that one instead. I would never destroy his actual guitar. I don't have the heart to." I explained quietly.

Uncle Rufus came to the door and stared me down.  
>"Who's this, Claire?" he asked.<br>"Uncle Rufus, this is my friend Sephiroth." I replied.  
>"Get inside!" he shouted and I trudged into the living room. I sat down on the couch and had no choice but to listen to my sister's wailing. I could tell by Sephiroth's voice that he was a little bummed about something. I wonder what it was that was bothering him? Uncle Rufus closed the door and came into the living room.<br>"Well, he's a remarkable boy. He told me everything. What you said was true, Claire. Then Serah has been the one leaving out a few facts." He replied. I gave him a half smile and then frowned again. I stared at the tiles on the ground and followed the lines the grout made with my eye.

"Someone still needs to be punished. I'm sorry Claire. But you have to go back to Bodhum at the end of the year. And no prom." Uncle Rufus said. I sighed and then trudged up the stairs to my room. Serah was still on the ground, crying over the guitar.  
>"Get up and get out!" I exclaimed and she hurried out of my room faster than a chocobos running from a predator. I picked up the pieces and threw them away. I came back upstairs and put dad's guitar back onto its perch.<p>

Uncle Rufus knocked on the door and then came in. He sat on my bed and examined the guitar closely. He saw the lightning bolt and smiled.  
>"That wasn't the real guitar was it?" he asked.<br>"No, it was a replica dad gave me." I replied.  
>"Why pretend to smash it then?" he asked.<br>"I needed to vent my anger and make Serah upset at the same time without actually damaging our parents' instruments." I replied. He laughed.  
>"I remember back in high school that your father did the exact same thing you just did. You two are so alike." Uncle Rufus said. I smiled and then opened my text book again.<br>"Listen Claire, Sephiroth really wanted to take you to prom. I might consider lifting the ban, if you place top four in your class." He replied.  
>"Really?" I asked hopefully. He nodded.<br>"Thank you!" I exclaimed and gave him a big hug.  
>"Yeah, after this year you will go back to Sanctum and finish up your schooling before I send Serah over." He said. I groaned. The last thing I wanted to know was that I had two more years of freedom.<p>

Uncle Rufus left me to study and closed the door behind him. I sighed. I could not believe that Seph actually wanted to take me to prom. Me of all people! I laughed and then began to put together a set of notes to study with. I ate dinner in my room and went to sleep at one in the morning. I couldn't sleep, knowing that my life would change according the exam results.


	10. Chapter 10

_A week later- 2 days before prom;_

"Thank goodness it's over!" Genesis exclaimed. Angeal gave him a high-five and Sephiroth laughed along with them. I was excited to go home, but sad to leave my friends behind.  
>"I never thought it would end!" I exclaimed with a sigh of relief. Sephiroth wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him.<br>"Today's going to be longer for you. Tomorrow is the decider." Sephiroth said and I chuckled.  
>"Decider for what?" Angeal asked.<br>"Whether I'm allowed to go to prom or not." I replied. Genesis picked up a flyer announcing the theme for prom.  
>"Halloween costumes! Ha! This is going to be awesome!" Genesis exclaimed and then did a little fist pump. The rest of us laughed at the crazed auburn.<br>"Genesis loves Halloween, unless you've already noticed." Angeal replied with a roll of his eyes.  
>"Hm... a fitting holiday for a budding actor!" I exclaimed. Genesis nodded. Chloe walked by and gave her boyfriend a wave. He was going to ask us if he could go with her but we beat him to it.<br>"Go on Romeo." Sephiroth chuckled. Genesis caught up with Chloe and placed his arm around her shoulder.

"Who can I ask to prom?" Angeal asked.  
>"Jessie likes you." I replied.<br>"The head cheerleader likes me?" he asked with surprise.  
>"Yeah! Can't you tell? She's been talking about you ever since I joined the squad!" I replied. Angeal then began to look around for Jessie. He found her and then went to flirt with her. Sephiroth chuckled.<br>"Finally, we're alone." He replied and kissed my cheek.  
>"Hm. Not quite." I replied. He looked around and realised that I was referring to the crowded halls.<br>"In that case." He said and pulled me outside.

Sephiroth held me close and kissed me. Then our lips parted and I rested my head on his shoulder.  
>"I'll miss you." He uttered and kissed my head. I took his face in my hands and kissed his nose.<br>"I'm not leaving yet!" I replied and pressed my lips against his. Someone cleared their throat and we parted. Sephiroth groaned.  
>"Aerith, go away." He replied. Aerith had a shovel in her hands.<br>"Really? You're going to hit us with a shovel?" I asked. She shook her head. She threw the shovel away and brought out a knife.  
>"I'm going to kill you instead." She smirked.<br>"This popularity thing has really gone to her head." Sephiroth replied and stood in front of me.  
>"You want to hurt her, you have to go through me first." He snapped. She put the knife away and left us alone.<p>

"Creepy." I commented on Aerith's behaviour.  
>"Extremely creepy." He replied.<br>"She's like a tonberry!" I exclaimed.  
>"Yeah, I see the resemblance." Sephiroth replied. We shared a moment of laughter and then the bell to go home sounded.<br>"Well, I hope everything goes well." Sephiroth said.  
>"Thanks." I replied. He walked me back into the building and then kissed me goodbye as he headed off to his locker. I took my satchel out of my locker and closed the door.<p>

The door to the mansion creaked open and Uncle Rufus sat on the couch.  
>"How did you go?" he asked.<br>"I think I did alright." I replied. He shook his head at me.  
>"I'm sorry you had to become responsible for Serah's actions last week. It was unfair of me to do that." He said.<br>"It doesn't matter. There's only four weeks left anyways." I replied. I looked around and Serah was nowhere to be seen.  
>"Where's Serah?" I asked.<br>"Shopping with Aerith, Yeul, Cloud and Caius for costumes." He replied.  
>"Oh." I said. "Why aren't you looking for a costume?" he asked. I shrugged.<br>"No point in buying something and not using it." I replied. He sighed and got off of the couch.  
>"Claire, go. I at least want you to have something just in case." Uncle Rufus said and gave me two hundred gil.<br>"I can't..." I began to say but he cut me off.  
>"Now Claire. Go." He said and pointed to the door.<br>"Thanks." I replied and headed out to shop for a costume.

I wandered the shopping complex and I found Serah with her posse. She stared at me and then they walked off to some fancy cafe.  
>"Lightning! Going shopping?" I heard Genesis asked. I turned to find the three guys along with Chloe and Jessie.<br>"Yep." I replied. Sephiroth held my waist and kissed me briefly.  
>"Come on." He said and led the six of us into a large costume shop.<p>

After hours of trying on costumes for the prom two days away, everyone had their costumes sorted. Genesis and Chloe were going as the girl and the guy from 'Loveless'. Angeal and Jessie were going as Snow White and the Hunter. Sephiroth and I decided to go with the simple prince and princess.  
>"All set?" Genesis asked. Everyone nodded in return.<p>

When the others left, Sephiroth took me to this beautiful little coffee shop where we sat and talked about random things. The smell of coffee filled my nose and the whole atmosphere was homey and warm.  
>"Do you think you'll be able to go to prom?" Sephiroth asked and then he sipped his latte.<br>"Maybe." I replied. I looked down at my chocolate milkshake and sighed.  
>"What's up, Lightning?" he asked and nuzzled my neck.<br>"It's my sister. She's turning into an Aerith. What do I do?" I asked him in return.  
>"Well, that's a toughie." He replied and kissed my cheek. He uttered a few lyrics from 'a prayer for you' in my ear. I chuckled and then kissed his soft lips. Everything falls into place when I'm with him. I've never felt this way before. I released my lips from his and then he gently kissed my cheek. Sephiroth took my hands.<br>"Do you mind if I call you Claire?" he asked. I shook my head.  
>"No, not at all." I replied with a smile.<br>"Claire, will you be my date to the prom?" he asked and then kissed my hand. I rolled my eyes at him.  
>"I wouldn't have coordinated with you if I didn't want to." I replied.<br>"Is that a yes?" he asked with a nervous smile.  
>"It's a yes." I replied.<p>

Sephiroth kissed my lips and held the back of my neck. I sighed as his other hand ran down my back.  
>"Isn't that cute?" Aerith asked with her posse in tow. Our lips parted and Sephiroth shook his head at her.<br>"Give up!" he exclaimed. Aerith took the lid off of her coffee and poured it over my head. I shot her a death stare before lunging at her. Sephiroth held my waist and pulled me back. She laughed.  
>"If it weren't for Sephiroth, you would be dead!" I exclaimed.<br>"Boo hoo! Have fun at home, Claire." Serah mocked and they all laughed.  
>"Serah, what happened to you? You've become a bitch. What happened to my sweet, girly, cat loving little sister?" I asked. Serah scoffed and flicked me on the nose. She knew that pisses me off. I went to lunge for the both of them, but Sephiroth kept me from harming the girls. We waited for them to leave and then Sephiroth escorted me home.<p>

"Thanks for taking me out and walking me home." I said. The sun began to set and the fading lights really set off how green Seph's eyes really were. They glittered with delight and he took me into his arms again.  
>"No worries." He replied.<br>"We should do something like this again." I said. Sephiroth smiled and nodded. He brought me into a passionate embrace and pressed his lips against mine. As our lips intertwined, an air horn sounded. We realised our hold on each other to find Serah in the front yard, smirking with an air horn in her hand. I shot her a death stare and shook my head at her.  
>"I'll see you tomorrow." I said and kissed his cheek before heading inside.<p>

"Serah! You're dead!" I exclaimed as Serah entered the house. She screamed and threw the air horn at me and bolting down the hall.  
>"Uncle Rufus!" She exclaimed and then gave him a great big hug.<br>"Claire's being mean." She sobbed.  
>"Serah blew an air horn at us and let her friend pour coffee on me!" I retorted. I left the room and had a shower to get rid of the coffee stench. Unfortunately, even the nicest smelling conditioner didn't mask it. I went into my room and put my pyjamas on. I came out to find Serah texting one of her friends. I took the phone out of her hand and put it behind the television.<br>"Who are you to do what you did today?" I asked. She stayed silent, picked up her phone and left for her room. I rolled my eyes at Serah and sat at the dinner table with Uncle Rufus.

After dinner, I placed the buds into my ears and turned on my music player before going to sleep. The soothing sounds of mum and dad's voices were more than enough to soothe my stressed soul.


	11. Chapter 11

The results of the exam went up today. Genesis and Angeal were the first to see it.  
>"Second!" Angeal exclaimed.<br>"Third!" Genesis replied and they high-fived. Sephiroth checked the board and nodded.  
>"What you get?" I asked with a playful slap.<br>"First." He replied. I jumped and gave him a hug. We shared a kiss before he let me check my own score.  
>"Equal first." I sighed with relief. I turned to Sephiroth, who was looking a little concerned.<br>"I'm going to prom." I mused.  
>"Yes!" he exclaimed and pressed his lips against mine. Reno walked past with Elena by his side.<br>"Easy Light! Save it for later!" Reno exclaimed and Elena smacked him on the back of the head. He complained of pain and then tried to catch up to her. We laughed and then he pulled me into a tight embrace.

_Prom night;_

I walked into the gym and was greeted by the other cheerleaders. I was feeling a little nervous. I'd never been to a prom before and I had no idea what to expect. I felt someone take my hand and kiss it. I turned to find Sephiroth placing a rose corsage onto my wrist. I picked up the little rose I brought with me and tucked it into one of his jacket pockets. We laughed and he pulled me in for a kiss. Just by the way he kissed me; I could tell that tonight was going to be the start of something amazing.

Our lips parted and we linked arms.  
>"You look great." I commented. He wore the attire based on the princes of Gran Pulse eons ago. The light made both his eyes and his hair shine like the light of heaven. He looked more like an angel than a prince to be honest.<br>"Thanks. You look enchanting." He replied and kissed my cheek. It was just a poofy dress loosely based on the medieval ages.  
>"Thanks. Hey I see Genesis and Angeal." I said and then we met up with our friends. The music was loud and lights danced around the ceiling as students danced the night away. Genesis and Chloe were on the dance floor doing all sorts of retro dance moves. Ones like riding the chocobo or shearing the sheep, the sprinkler and other such moves. Angeal was busy making out with Jessie. The music went from upbeat, to slowing right down for one of the first simple waltzes for the night.<p>

Sephiroth held his hand out to me and I placed my hand in his. He led me onto the dance floor, twirled me around and then pulled me close again. His hands rested on my lower back as mine rested on the back of his neck. I placed my head on his shoulder and he stepped together in time with the music. A teacher came up to us and pulled us apart.  
>"Arms length apart people!" he exclaimed and then once we danced at arm's length apart, he moved on to pick on other couples. Once he left, Sephiroth pulled me in again and we danced just like we did before. I could hear his heart throb above the music. It was stable and rhythmic, just like how he led me during the dance. The music came to a stop and he gently lifted my chin up. He kissed me and let his lips lock and unlock with mine. After two seconds, we pulled away as the pace hastened.<p>

Genesis and Chloe met us in the middle of the dance floor. The four of us got into a groove and it seemed like we had been zapped by some weird dance ray. The atmosphere was definitely in party overdrive as some people pulled a few of the streamers down and either chucked them at other people or used them as a boa. Angeal and Jessie joined us on the dance floor.  
>"Hello strangers." Chloe shouted over the music. They smiled and waved at us. Angeal and Genesis began to start shuffling. They pulled Seph in and the three of them shuffled whilst us girls cheered them on and giggled at them.<p>

"Hello." Aerith said bitterly and all six of us turned to face her. Serah had her arms folded and Cloud snuggled in her shoulder. I'm guessing that Serah is like the Aerith in that relationship.  
>"Aerith! Go away!" Sephiroth exclaimed in frustration. Caius looked at Yeul and she hugged him. Her expression showed fear. She was scared of Seph. Aerith shook her head at me and clicked her fingers. Tifa wandered up to her with a box. Aerith took the box from her and threw it at me. I caught it and then took it to a table. When I came back, my heart sank.<p>

Aerith had her lips all over Sephiroth.  
>"Take me back!" she exclaimed. He looked fairly happy to take her back. Tears welled up in my eyes. Serah saw my eyes begin to water. She pushed Cloud off of her and came up to me.<br>"Light? You ok?" she asked.  
>"I was stupid enough to believe that he really liked me." I replied. Serah looked at Aerith and then back to me.<br>"Aerith's a bitch, we all know that. She's only after popularity." Serah said. I gasped and then gave her a big bear hug. My sweet and girly little sister was back to normal.

I saw the look on Angeal's and Genesis' faces. They were shocked. Chloe and Jessie walked over.  
>"I'm so sorry Claire." Chloe said.<br>"Don't cry; you'll mess up your make up." Jessie said and the three girls gave me a hug.  
>"If he wants to date that psycho bitch, I hope he's happy with her!" I exclaimed and stormed out of the gym.<br>"Light!" Genesis exclaimed and I heard five sets of footsteps follow me outside.

The oval was decorated like a secret garden. Roses as far as the eye could see. There was a brick path that led to a white pagoda that was dotted with red roses. The scents of the many flowers filled my nose and only made me want to cry more. I sat in the centre of the pagoda with a red rose in my hands and let the tears flow down my cheeks. The sound of footsteps stopped and I five pairs of feet stand before me. Serah got down on the floor and hugged me. I slipped the rose corsage off of my wrist and gave it to Serah.  
>"Tell Sephiroth that if he wants to be with Aerith, he can." I replied and she wandered into the gym to convey the message.<br>"I don't understand... how is this possible?" Genesis asked. I shrugged and then threw the rose into the distance. Chloe and Jessie knelt beside me and placed a hand on my shoulder.  
>"She's only doing what you did to her." Angeal replied. Angeal was right. Aerith wanted me to feel pain like she did. She was getting back at me for stealing Sephiroth from her.<p>

"That makes complete sense!" I exclaimed. Serah came back and looked a little confused. I got up off the floor and then explained everything to her.  
>"That is something Aerith would do." Serah replied. Cloud followed her out of the gym and stood behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and then kissed her cheek.<br>"Aw... Serah's got a boyfriend!" I mused.  
>"Shut up Light!" She exclaimed and punched my arm weakly. She then shook her hand. I chuckled at her. Chloe and Jessie crossed their arms and shook their heads.<br>"That bitch has to go down!" Chloe exclaimed. Genesis gave her a high-five and then they called Angeal over so they could plan to make her miserable.  
>"Guys! I don't care anymore. If he wants her, I hope he's happy. He's not getting any sympathy from me anymore!" I replied. They looked at me in shock.<br>"Really? Nothing?" Angeal asked.  
>"No pie in the face? No defacing her crap?" Genesis asked. I shook my head.<br>"Nope." I replied.

"Speaking of the devil." Serah said and we turned to find Aerith coming right for us. She stood before me with her arms crossed.  
>"Looks like I got the guy once again." She smirked.<br>"Back off bitch!" I exclaimed and then threw a punch. Aerith fell to the ground and then rubbed her cheek. She got up and turned to see Seph wandering down here. She pretended to cry and he rushed to her side.  
>"Typical. Still have feelings for your ex?" I asked. He stared at me with surprise.<br>"Lightning, she kissed me!" He exclaimed.  
>"I don't want to hear it. You've had your chance." I replied and turned to walk away. He caught my wrist and pulled me into a kiss. I pushed myself out of his grip and shook my head at him.<br>"I opened my heart to you, and you go ahead and break it. You've had your chance and lost my trust." I replied and then pushed past him as I stormed into the gym.

I sighed and let more tears fall from my eyes. I wiped them away and sat on the bleachers. I buried my face in my hands. I couldn't wait til next week to go home. Back to the beach and to the people I trusted. To see the fireworks the day before my birthday and to join the Guardian Corps after my schooling. I lifted my head to find Sephiroth arguing with Aerith. The music was turned off so everyone could hear what was going on. Almost all of the people at the prom made a circle so everyone could see the evolving fight.

"You only cared about yourself! You never thought about me!" Sephiroth exclaimed.  
>"I do to! I love you." She replied. He shot her a death stare.<br>"Oh yeah? When was the last time you told me that? Two years ago, Aerith!" he shouted at the crying brunette. This only set off more tears. I stood on the bleachers to see what was going on. I laughed as Aerith began to cry.  
>"Sure, start crying! That's not going to make either of us happy!" He exclaimed and Aerith ran off into the oval. Sephiroth sat down on the bleachers below me and sighed.<p>

"Nice performance." I scoffed humorously and went to leave. He pulled me back down onto the bleachers and sighed.  
>"Tell me where I went wrong. I want things to be ok between us." He whispered into my ear.<br>"Ok, you want to know where you went wrong? Here it is. You let Aerith kiss you, like actually kiss you and you never came after me. It was like you didn't care at all." I replied. Sephiroth wrapped one arm around my waist and then kissed my cheek.  
>"Don't! Just don't!" I exclaimed and tried to get out of his iron grip. He pulled me back onto the benches again. He pulled me closer and I rested my head on his shoulder.<br>"I want to make things right. I never meant to hurt you." He said and ran his fingers through my hair.  
>"That's what they all say..." I replied sorrowfully.<br>"Claire, I'm sorry." He whispered and kissed my forehead. I shook my head. He lifted my chin so I looked right into his piercing green eyes.  
>"I mean it. I don't want to hurt you." He replied and kissed my lips briefly. I pressed my lips up against his and let them lock and unlock with his. His hands ran up and down my back as my own hands held the back of his neck. His tongue touched mine for a split second before pulling away. Then he kissed me for a second before our lips parted.<p>

"Ooh! Light's got her boyfriend back!" Serah mused. I shook my head at my cheeky sister who smiled at me and then kissed her own boyfriend. I chuckled at my little sister and Sephiroth kissed my neck before kissing my lips twice.  
>"I can't wait to go to Sanctum with you." He whispered. Then I sighed as I realised that in four weeks, it's goodbye Midgar along with everyone in it.<p> 


	12. Chapter 12

_First week back at Bodhum;_

"Welcome to Bodhum, boys!" exclaimed as the three guys rubbed their eyes and then gasped at the beach surrounding them. Genesis, Angeal and Seph were wearing the uniform of the Guardian Corps cadets and I wore my sergeant uniform.  
>"Why do you have that uniform on?" Genesis asked with a jealous scowl.<br>"I'm a higher level. I've been at Sanctum longer than you three." I replied with a smile. Sephiroth looked quite cute in the cadet uniform. It made him look quite childish, even though he was quite mature.  
>"Light, I'm glad you're back." Cid said and went to hug me. I flipped him onto his back and Genesis laughed at my ex. I waved the three of them over and we looked down at Cid.<br>"Cid Raines, this is my friend Genesis, my friend Angeal and my boyfriend Sephiroth. Boys, meet my ex." I replied and then I stepped on his chest. Genesis and Angeal followed me while Seph stayed behind with Raines.

I stopped at the beach and placed one hand on my hip. Cid got up and then patted him on the back. They seemed to be chatting about something.  
>"I'm going to get our luggage." I replied and wandered back into the aerodome. By the time I got back the bags, Sephiroth was with the other two. I rested the bags in front of the chattering boys. They picked up their respective suitcases.<br>"Follow me." I replied and led them to my peanut shaped house. I put my bag down and reached for the keys.  
>"Is this a hotel?" Angeal asked.<br>"Nope, my house." I replied and opened the door. I let the boys wander in first.

They gawked at the almost empty house. I chuckled at their faces, brought in the bags and shut the door behind me.  
>"Like it?" I asked. They didn't answer, but they did walk around. I checked the calendar.<br>"Fireworks tonight!" I exclaimed. The three of them turned to me and raised their eyebrows in question. I rolled my eyes at them.  
>"The annual Bodhum fireworks. People come from all around Cocoon, just to see them." I replied.<br>"Sounds good." Sephiroth replied.

After the boys picked where they wanted to sleep, I took them out for a little tour of Bodhum. Then night time came and we headed to the beach to watch the fireworks. Genesis and Angeal messed around in the water whilst Sephiroth had his arms around me. The fireworks were calming and I had missed everything about Bodhum so much. Sephiroth kissed my cheek and pulled me closer. The colours of the fireworks stained the night sky, only to disappear when new ones burst. The crowd gasped with wonder. Sephiroth held me close and nuzzled my neck.  
>"I love you." I whispered and then kissed him.<br>"I love you too." He replied and then we watched the rest of the fireworks in silence.

_Three weeks later, at the aerodome;_

Sephiroth and Cloud walked Serah and me to our gate. Cloud broke up with Serah rudely and then left her on her own. She then broke down into a crying mess. I consoled her and then she sat down next to Caius and Yeul.  
>"This is it, isn't it?" I asked. I could feel tears wanting to bubble over and run down my cheeks. Sephiroth nodded. His green eyes glistened with sadness. Was it really possible that Seph was about to cry? Nah, he's just a little sad that's all. Sephiroth gave me a hug and then kissed me passionately.<br>"Final call for the flight to Bodhum." The p.a. announced. Serah got out of her seat and boarded the plane.

Our lips parted and the tears I tried to hold back fell down my face.  
>"I love you." He whispered and took my hand.<br>"I love you too." I replied and kissed his cheek.  
>"What a way to break up, huh?" I asked as tears continued to spill down my face.<br>"Sucks. If I can, I'll come visit." Sephiroth replied. We shared one last kiss before he let me board the plane back home.


End file.
